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GICAL cay seu 
WORK OF THE PASTOR 


BY 
CHARLES R. ERDMAN, D.D., LL.D. 


Professor of Practical Theology 
Princeton Theological Seminary 
Princeton, New Jersey 


Author of “The Gospel of John, an Exposition,” “The Gospel of Matthew,” 
“The Gospel of Mark,’’ “The General Epistles,’ The Acts,”’ 
“The Gospel of Luke,’ “Coming to the Communion,” 

“The Return of Christ,” ‘Within the Gateways 
of the Far East,” ‘The Pastoral 
Epistles of Paul,” etc. 


PHILADELPHIA 
THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 
1924 
















Copyright, 1924 
By F. M. Braselman 









‘Printed in the United States 
: : gD a e 


PREFACE 


This volume is intended to serve as a handbook to pastors 
and as a textbook for students of theology. It should be 
found helpful, however, to many others who are concerned 
with the organization and activities of the Christian Church. 

Sixteen years of experience in pastoral service and eighteen 
in teaching pastoral theology have convinced the author that 
such“a@ book is needed, but not that he is competent for its 
preparation. Therefore, when the task was laid upon him, 
he consulted with scores of eminent pastors and teachers of 
various denominations, and has been guided by their generous 
counsel as to the character and content of the volume. 

Large portions of the last five chapters have been furnished 
by other writers, who are recognized as specially trained and 
qualified for their tasks. These writers are all connected with 
the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., but their contributions, in 
accordance with the plan of this work, are affected by no 
denominational bias, and are intended to be of service to 
pastors of all churches. Grateful acknowledgment is given 
of the chapter on “The Pastor and Christian Education,” by 
Harold McAfee Robinson, D.D., a Secretary of the Board of 
Christian Education; of valuable material on “Church Ad- 
ministration” contributed by the Rev. Albert F. McGarrah, 
of the General Council’s Standing Committee on Program and 
Field Activities; on “Organizations of Young People,” by Rev. 
William Ralph Hall, Director of Young People’s Work of the 
Board of Christian Education; on “Organizations of Men,” by 
George P. Horst, D.D., Field Director of the Department of 
Men’s Work”; on “Organizations of Women,” by Mrs. E. H. 
Silverthorn, of the Department of Missionary Education of 
the Board of Christian Education; on “The Denominational 
Agencies,” “The Group System,” and “The Mission Church,” 


lll 


1V PREFACE 


by W. S. Marquis, D.D., of the Division of Codrdination 
of the General Council; on “Christian Stewardship,” by Wil- 
liam Hiram Foulkes, D.D., LL.D., General Secretary of the 
General Council’s Standing Committee on Program and Field 
Activities; on “Church Advertising,” by Herbert H. Smith, 
Publicity Department, Office of the General Assembly; on 
“The Rural Church” and “The Town Church,” by Rev. W. B. 
Sheddan, Ph.B., Assistant Librarian of Princeton Theological 
Seminary and lecturer on rural church work; on “The City 
Church,” by J. Ross Stevenson, D.D., LL.D.. President of 
Princeton Theological Seminary; on “The Church Among For- 
eigners,” by Rev. Kenneth D. Miller, of the Board of National 
Missions; on ‘The Church with Jewish Neighbors,” by J. 8S. 
Conning, D.D., Secretary of the Department of Jewish Evan- 
gelization of the Board of National Missions; on “The Church 
in Foreign Fields,” by J. C. R. Ewing, D.D., LL.D., K.C.LE., 
of India; and of the chapter on “The Pastor and Missions,” 
by William P. Schell, D.D., a Secretary of the Board of For- 
eign Missions. 

The problems of the modern pastorate are too numerous 
and complex to admit of exhaustive treatment in any one 
volume; it is hoped, however, that the following discussions 
may prove practical and suggestive. Criticisms will be gladly 
welcomed in order that possible future editions may be of 
increased value. 

CHARLES R. ERDMAN. 

Princeton, New Jersey. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

RE ACH Mme Uo DAVE hh rice NIK oe Es De aed Broder tS tell Vv 
INTRODUCTION mpeetoral Theology: Its Scope and Literature. . . . xi 

I. THe PasToRAL OFFICE 

iets Oniginvand Duties! ees. er ao. i ae he eet a) 7 Pe orca 

Ze Lhesereparauonor the Pastor. ao esace lee ieee be re A. 

one: Galk tothe Omceryos 4 ere see tees Pere hone eens © 

Ane. NOlCG Ol. 8) LAGld wget yg, tayo beets ate my AE alee LO 

5. Candidating, Ordination, and Installation ....... 413 

Gm nessen gun Ola EP aStoratey sce a ieee cel ne te le le a ia Be 

7 Lempratons ml riaissand Rewards... 24: .j.dt. os ss 17 


II. THe Lire or THE PAsToR 


Pee rhysical Health aren ester ea Sree 8 cies Ns Coe 
eee Vien tale velopment age ys ewiiee feel weet a ea MLA 
Be oocial Gonduch paper canes tt. irs goatee Suetee dso OO 
Ae spiritual Growth, 2... .0-. LE ee eae MOH eT OLA 
Pye EL OIG Lolt OO eM er ea ar Ge filo 0k aan nn ea Wf ee ae te ta) 
G2 Community OecrvicOn one 1 boos haus Spl otoy Ak CON meena: 933 
PEAGKTSTCADINIAL SY Sy CAL a 7 pile eee AE a7 Ae OS eee AP 


III. Pariso DvurTtEs 


1. Personal Plans and Church Programs ...... . Ne e49 
Dee Pastoral.Galletuasuen vet a) 2 Bel ees SOS et he TAOS. 
Senet CarerOr ther hOOles. sia oe wuk pease ed er ts Wt RT a! 
ANG We Members: Mik Wier DES a SUNS TANCES ee. BeOS 
He Absentee Members 2.20 ta ee 8 Te POON AIL Bal teal sien OU 
GmChureh: Distiplinémr. ie. tae Tee pat lark ae ene Oe 
Vorarishand Pastoral Records ean ieee eee . 64 
IV. Tue Cure or Sous 
1. The Irreligious and the Indifferent .......... 67 
aebrolessed( Skeptics. +7 i. tay ai ee Ree tes) fi 69 
eELIIGINILOLS bi ce wb), P< econ ces ate ae ee ee Pee fea 
AMNGW.CONnVeris. a. ki 1 a ee We tet eee s 
DaLhose with Doubts and. Difheultics! 05). ah we. (is 


Vv 


vl CONTENTS 
PAGE 
TV. Tse Cure or Sours (continued) 

6. The Despondento. 67. ene ae Mees oo hs Ott 75 

7. The Deludedi. 5a. PS oy Ree ae Wen ee. Rs Ae 

8. Backsliders 9. 2:00.) eee) ee ee ee 81 

9. The Sick. 2). ee ee ie 

10. The: Bereaved. “sn = 2 ee eee 83 

11. The Afflicted ..> 2 .. Sisco Ser ae 85 

12,.. The Erring* <0 \0) 5.9 oe ee 87 

13. The Perplexed 2 YS 4s. Se 89 

14. Mature,Christians. .9/°2 07) ee ee ae 90 

V. Reticious SERVICES 

1, The Conduct. of Worship. 32a et 92 

2:- Public: Prayer. % 925.756 oe ea ee ot 95 

3; Lhe: Musical Service. =. bass eee ce nes a 99 

4. The*-Midweek Service: o.-4.0.2 & ss e 102 

5.. Lhe! Baptismal Servicew ssw eamee sie ee Mrs hie 

6.* The Lord’s: Suppers, &. 7a oe ee 107 
V.alhe Marriage Services 6 eee ee ee ee 109 
8..The Burial Service. 5 4. . 4 nie ee ee eee 112 

9. Evangelistic Services 22) .7.- 5 ce se ee 115 

10. Services’of the Church: Year :".- = 204)... arene par’ 

VI. Tue Pastor AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 

1. The Relationship Between Education and Evangelism. . 119 

2. The Mission of the Christian Chureh . ....... 2% 120 

3. The Opportunity of the Christian Church ...... . 121 

4. When Christian Education Is Most Effective ..... 122 

5. The Secularization of Education in America ..... . 127 

6. The Responsibility of the Pastor for Christian Education 129 


VII. CuurcH ORGANIZATION 


1. Its Aim:and Methods’)... 2 aiee a 165 
2. The Group Systems aie o..0: ee 168 
3. Organizations of Young People s/s. ose ena eee 171 
4. Organizations of Mén> ae. ee 176 
5. Organizations of Women seen eee ee 179 
6. The Official Boards and the Church Courts. ..... . 186 
7. The Denominational Agencies ............ 188 


BA 


CONTENTS vil 


PAGR 
VIII. Courcu ADMINISTRATION 

Ae LSeNATUrG ONC NGCESSILY: ic) osc conn ee ees 192 

2. The Church Building and Equipment. ........ 194 
Serene wonurcn,Otice oP lc) Oe et ee een en gee 196 
Aeelne church stall. ists Ae poste cae Lee er 197 
OmOOUrch HInanCe! os "ey “Ra akens Perea Smee eRe rs «oe 200 

6a Christian Stewardshipwise. «cae eee ee eee ee 203 

Ce Chureh Ad Vertisin peek, c. cp cence een cen ae eee eee ee 209 

IX. PrRoBLEMs IN PaRTICULAR FIELDS 

deities Ura G Durch eerie RES os lg, een Siete 213 
BRO CLO WTC UTC REE 2 uPA rs Ps Nee oe eee ae 220 
Smee el eye CNUTCD Wa wpe Tee is a ee ts her seen 224 

4. The Church Among Foreigners. ........... 228 

aE LUGHVLUISSIONSC DUTCH naean sn nea e) oe un ay cnet oy 232 

6. The Church with Jewish Neighbors ......... 238 

fem re hurchan eoreigntieldsw were a ct eee ke ee 240 

X, THE Pastor AND MISSIONS 

Peete he Responsibility ofthe Pastor... 2+ <2 vshl ee 244 
2. The Need of a Missionary Program. ......... 246 
SameLIAver Ind Vi issiONS ey eect fae a ee ee, 246 

oo TOTP Valin ges en GANIC tg Oe tee et 8 eel Pre 247 

Dee MIinslOUArys HCUCALIONS + ue wane tae in ee nee 248 

Om RecruitingHor ile Servicet.=-#iaee. a ee oe 253 

7. The Pastor and Missionary Finance. ......... 254 





INTRODUCTION 
PasToRAL THEOLOGY: ITs ScoPE AND LITERATURE 


1. The work of the pastor may be understood to include 
all the duties of a Christian minister except such as are 
directly related to preaching and to its accompanying acts 
of public worship. Its discussion, therefore, belongs to the 
province of practical theology. The latter is distinguished 
from all the other theological disciplines in that they aim at 
the discovery or defense of truth, while it is concerned with 
the application of truth to life. The distinctive truth with 
which they deal is that which concerns God and his salvation 
as revealed in the sacred Scriptures. Exegetical and Biblical 
theology seek to ascertain the exact teachings of these Scrip- 
tures. Systematic theology gives to these teachings a scien- 
tific classification under certain heads or topics, and formu- 
lates them as doctrines or dogmas. Historical theology, “‘his- 
/ tories,” or “ecclesiastical history,” traces the development of 
these doctrines, the rise and progress of the Christian Church, 
and its connection with the events of secular history. Apol- 
ogetics 1s concerned with the defense of Christian truths and 
their relation to philosophy and science. ‘‘Practics,” or prac- 
tical theology, however, deals with the methods whereby 
revealed truth is brought to bear upon the life of the indi- 
vidual, upon the church and the community, and is given a 
wider acceptance in the world. 

Thus among its branches the following commonly have been 
recognized: (1) Homiletics, or the science or art or theory 
of preaching. (2) Liturgics, or the science or theory of pub- 
lic worship. (8) Ecclesiastics, or the science of Church gov- 
ernment. (4) Poimenics, or the science of the shepherding 
of souls. (5) Catechetics, or the science of the religious train- 
ing of the young. (6) Archagics, or the science of organized 

1X 


x INTRODUCTION 


Church work. (7) Halieutics, or the science of evangelistic 
and missionary effort. 

Of these branches of practical theology, if thus classified, 
pastoral theology, or the work of the pastor, has to do with, 
not the first three, but with the remaining, namely, the care of 
souls, religious education, the organization and administration 
of Church work, and the task of world-wide evangelization. 
~~ It is probably true that theology in general, and systematic 
theology in particular, has fallen upon evil days. Once re- 
garded universally as the queen of the sciences, now few are 
found so poor in spirit and so wise of heart as properly to do 
her reverence. 

Possibly this may be due to the tendency on the part of her 
followers to indulge in futile speculations, and to become 
befogged in metaphysical subtleties. Possibly it may be 
attributed to the popular fallacies involved in contrasting 
“theology and religion,” or “creed and conduct,” or “faith 
and life,’ when lawfully no one of these should ever be 
divorced from the other. 

Nevertheless, of practical theology, and specifically of pas- 
toral- theology, it may be asserted that at the present time 
each is “coming to its own.” ‘The Church is realizing that a 
man may be an erudite scholar, but still a very wretched 
preacher; and further, that he may be a profound theologian 
and an eloquent orator, but a pitifully poor pastor—a great 
hero in the toga, but a sorry figure as soon as he grasps the 
shepherd’s staff. 

On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that there are 
those by whom practical theology is discredited and by whom 
it is insisted that for the work of the pastorate no instruction 
is needed, but only common sense and experience. Of course, 
this work cannot be done mechanically and by a set of rules. 
However, “common sense” is not a native and conspicuous 
gift in all candidates for the ministry, and “experience” is 
often gained at a needlessly high cost. Most congregations 
‘ prefer a pastor who has had some instruction in the fine art 
of the care of souls and who has some intelligent knowledge 
of modern methods of church work. 


INTRODUCTION Xl 


The fact is that in recent years the interest in pastoral 
theology has developed, as its scope has widened. This dis- 
cipline has always included and been chiefly concerned with 
“noimenics,” or cura pastoralis, or “psychogoics,” or “pai- 
deutics,” or pastoralis,.or the “cure of souls,” by which high- 
sounding phrases is meant the spiritual oversight which a pas- 
tor is naturally expected to exercise over the members of 
his flock. 
~ It has also included “catechetics,” or the religious training 
of the young; but at the present day, under the general title 
of “religious education,” the province of this branch of pas- 
toral theology has been greatly extended to include a vast 
complex of problems relating to the religious life of the family, 
to the organization and development of Sunday schools, of 
Daily Vacation Bible Schools, and of midweek classes for 
religious instruction. 

“Archagics” is a word which erudite writers upon pastoral 
theology have liked to include in their ponderous volumes, 
but to the thing it signifies, namely, the science of organized 
Church work, only the most minute space has been given. 
In fact, until recently, the thing has hardly existed. However, 
in modern times, the Christian minister is not only a preacher, 
giving public instruction at stated intervals, or a priest per- 
forming certain prescribed functions; he is regarded as the 
leader of a society of workers, the director of spiritual forces, 
with an outlook upon the community and upon the whole 
world. The pastors of the present day are to do as Paul indi- 
cated when he declared that pastors and teachers had been 
given “for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of 
ministering.” The “ministering” was to be done by “the 
saints” and not merely by the pastors. The latter were to 
give the guidance and direction and spiritual preparation, but 
their people were to do the work. So the modern church is 
being regarded more and more as a force to be wielded. Its 
members are to be organized and disciplined for moral and 
social and evangelistic enterprise; they are to be regarded as 
belonging to a society whose specific purpose is to carry the 
gospel of Christ into all the world and to every creature. 


xl INTRODUCTION 


This broader view of the work of the pastor has necessarily 
widened the scope of pastoral theology, not so much by adding 
new branches as by increasing and enriching the content of 
those recognized by earlier writers. 


2. The literature of this department of theology has always 
been abundant, particularly in such treatises as deal with 
the personal life of the pastor and his contacts with the indi- 
vidual members of his flock. 

_/ Any study of the subject should begin with a careful review 
of the Pastoral Epistles of Paul. The content of these pre- 
cious letters should be mastered by every student of theology, 
and should be used for guidance and inspiration by every min- 
ister of Christ. Here the apostle gives explicit instructions as to 
the necessary qualifications of the Christian pastor; as to the 
importance and nature of ordination; as to the relations of 
the pastor to the young and old, to the men and the women, 
and to the various classes of his parishioners; as to the wise 
relief of the poor; as to the election and salaries and discipline 
of church officers; as to the personal habits and the spiritual 
life of the pastor, and specifically as to his motives and 
behavior as the shepherd of the flock. 

In fact, this treatment of the character and duties of the 
Christian pastor is so complete in these Epistles that when 
a modern writer, W. E. Chadwick, prepared his admirable 
work, “The Pastoral Teaching of St. Paul,’ he made little 
use of these letters, because ‘in order to deal with them ade- 
quately, from this point of view alone, they would have 
required a volume to themselves.” This writer was guided, 
however, by another consideration: he “wished to show St. 
Paul at work as a Christian minister” rather than as an in- 
structor of ministers; and his picture of the apostle indicates 
how astonishingly rich The Acts of the Apostles and all the 
/ Epistles of Paul are in the material of pastoral theology. It 
is also true that other portions of the Bible contain invaluable 

messages for the Christian minister, and that the teachings 
_ and example of our Lord, as recorded in the Gospels, must 


INTRODUCTION Xlil 


ever remain as the perfect standard and ideal of the motives 
and principles of pastoral service. However, among treatises 
designed specifically for the guidance of Christian pastors, 
first and chief stand the letters written by Paul to Timothy 
and to Titus. 

In the age following that of the apostles, directories for 
worship and other forms of instruction for the guidance of 
pastors were produced from time to time; but the rise of sacer- 
dotalism and the triumph of the papacy produced such a 
change in the conception of the pastoral office that, until the 
time of the Reformation, little was written which may be 
regarded as of practical value to the pastor of the present 
day. However, mention might be made of the works of 
Chrysostom, “On the Priesthood” (A.D. 399), and of 
Gregory the Great, “Liber Regulae Pastoralis,” two centuries 
later. Both emphasized the wisdom and holiness which a 
Christian priest should possess, and the latter held its place 
for centuries as a manual of instruction for the clergy. 

So, too, the Middle Ages produced two valuable volumes, 
the first by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, “Tractatus de 
Moribus et Officus Clericorum,’ in which the immorality of 
the priests was severely rebuked and a beautiful picture 
painted of the true minister of Christ; the second, by John 
Wyclif, “Tractatus de Officio Pastorali,’ which sought to 
inforce upon pastors purity in life and soundness of doctrine. 

Luther and Zwingli and Calvin and other Protestant lead- 
ers revived the Scriptural conception of the Christian min- 
istry, and treatises upon the life and work of the pastor began 
to multiply with great rapidity. Among them, in the seven- 
teenth century, two priceless productions appeared in Eng- 
land, one on the country parson, by George Herbert, and the 
other on the reformed pastor, by Richard Baxter. The former, 
“A Priest in the Temple, or The Country Parson’s Char- 
acter and Rule of Holy Life” (1632), is practically a por- 
trait of the author, a charitable, genial, honest, virtuous Chris- 
tian gentleman. Its quaint messages breathe a spirit of 
humble piety and impress the need of a pure heart and a well- 


XiV INTRODUCTION 


furnished mind, emphasizing the facts that all forms of knowl- 
edge are of value to a pastor, and that his whole life must be 
inspired by love. 

“The Reformed Pastor” is an abiding monument to the 
notable service of Richard Baxter at Kidderminster, as well 
as an explanation of its extraordinary influence and power. 
The keen analysis of motives, the searching disclosures of 
secret sins, the exalted ideals of character, cannot fail to 
humble even the most faithful pastor. It is rather too severe 
and intense for constant use, but as an occasional moral and 
spiritual tonic, it is unsurpassed and almost indispensable. 

Of the many treatises which appeared in the eighteenth 
century, the one most frequently named as typical is that of 
Bishop Burnet (1648-1715), “A Discourse of the Pastoral 
Care,” which appears as a protest against the prevalent 
rationalistic and unspiritual conceptions of the Christian 
ministry, and emphasizes its solemn responsibilities, its 
intrinsic dignity, and its divine authority. 

It was not, however, until the last century that the work 
of the pastor received what properly may be regarded as a 
scientific exposition. Of such a character is the treatment 
of the subject given in Germany by Schleiermacher in two 
chapters of his work, “Praktische Theologie,’ and by Van 
Oosterzee, of Holland, in that portion of his “Practical 
Theology” which is devoted to poimenics. Still it is possibly 
true that the first complete systematic and satisfactory pas- 
toral theology is that of Professor Alexandre Vinet, of 
Lausanne, his Théologie Pastorale, ou Théorie du Ministre 
Evangélique (1850). The method is philosophical, the senti- 
ment is elevated, and the treatment of the institution and 
ideal of the Christian ministry is superb; however, from the 
viewpoint of the demands made upon the modern pastor in 
church organization and administration and religious educa- 
tion, the work is obviously incomplete. The same praise 
with the same qualification should be given to a large number 
of works which appeared in England and America during the 
same century. The list is very extensive, but the following 


< 
My 


INTRODUCTION XV 


may be illustrative of large groups of scholarly treatises on 
the subject of pastoral service. ‘Pastoral Theology,’ by 
Patrick Fairbairn; “Homiletics and Pastoral Theology,” by 
W. G. T. Shedd; “Pastoral Theology,” by Thomas Murphy; 
“Pastoral Theology,” by James M. Hoppin. 

The present century, however, has given a vastly wider 
scope to the province of the work of the pastor, as already 
has been shown, not so much in adding new topics as in their 
broader and more detailed development. Even as long ago 
as 1887, Washington Gladden published his “Parish Prob- 
lems,” and, in 1898, ‘Fhe Christian Pastor and the Work- 
ing Church,” books which deal with this larger conception of 
pastoral service. Among subsequent treatises of this more 
comprehensive character might be named as examples of a 
large number of valuable volumes: “Modern Practical The- 
ology,’ by Ferdinand S. Schenck; “The Work of the Min- 
istry,” by W. H. Griffith Thomas; “The Covenanter Pastor,” 
by R. J. George; “How to Work for Christ,” by R. A. Tor- 
rey; “The Modern Church,” by P. A. Nordell; ‘The 
Christian Minister and His Duties,’ by J. Oswald Dykes. 

However, even during the last decade, the literature of the 
subject has so increased that monographs, manuals, and even 
series of volumes, have been produced dealing with single 
topics in the vast field of pastoral duties. Actual libraries 
can now be formed dealing with Christian education or with 
Church organization, with parish administration, with evan- 
gelism, or with the missionary enterprise. 

Then, too, it must be remembered, there opens before the 
student of this subject a vast field of literature in the form 
of biographies which set forth, as inspiring exemplars in pas- 
toral service, the long line of distinguished leaders and heroes 
who have exercised spiritual oversight in the Church through 
all the passing centuries. 

To think of gathering all this material into a single volume 
would be a fantastic dream; yet it is hoped that the following 
discussion of some of the chief problems of the pastor may be 
of help both in the preparation for the ministry and in the 


xvi INTRODUCTION 


discharge of pastoral duties. No such volume can obviate 
the necessity of consulting other sources for more detailed in- 
formation; yet it at least can indicate some of the methods to 
be followed by those who are studiously seeking to make 
themselves efficient in the service of Christ and his Church. 


CHAPTER. I 
THE PASTORAL OFFICE 
1. Irs OrtcIn AND DUTIES 


One who assumes spiritual oversight in a congregation of 
Christians should be encouraged and inspired by the belief 
that the office he fills is of divine origin. Not that any mod- 
ern minister can find, in the order of the Early Church, his 
exact counterpart; but our Lord did appoint his apostles to 
found and organize his Church, and, under the guidance of 
his Spirit and by their direction, officers were ordained whose 
duties correspond so fully to those of the pastorate that the 
latter rightfully is said to have been instituted by Christ. 

The first officers to whom was intrusted the care of local 
churches were the “elders” or “bishops.” They were aided 
by the work of subordinate officers known as “deacons” and 
also by the unofficial ministry of men who were endowed with 
“spiritual gifts” designed for the instruction and edification 
of believers. After the death of the apostles and the cessation 
of these special “gifts,” the entire spiritual oversight of the 
congregations, together with the duty of religious instruction, 
devolved upon these “elders” or “bishops.” 

In process of time their powers greatly increased, and with 
the changing conception of the sacraments, when the “euchar- 
ist” became a “sacrifice,” these “ministers” became “rulers,” 
and the “clergy,” separated by a great chasm from the laity, 
developed into a priestly caste, the indispensable channels of 
divine grace, and upon their claims and assumptions was 
erected a hierarchy which culminated in the papacy. The 
Protestant Reformation, however, restored the idea of the uni- 
versal priesthood of believers, and to the chief officer of each 

1 


2 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


local congregation was assigned the duties formerly belonging 
to the “elders” or “bishops” of the primitive Church. These 
duties, as already stated, were largely those of spiritual super- 
intendence and of religious instruction. 

To this office many different titles have been given by 
various denominations of Christians and in various times and 
places, such as “minister,” “parson,” “priest,” “preacher,” 
“rector,” “dominie,” and “clergyman”; but the most beautiful, 
poetic, popular, and comprehensive of all is that of “pastor” or 
“shepherd.” The term can be traced to Old Testament usage 
where Jehovah is called the Shepherd of his people, and where 
those are called shepherds who are appointed to serve his 
people in his name. In the New Testament our Saviour calls 
himself the Good Shepherd and he commissions Peter to 
“feed” and to “tend” his “sheep” and his “lambs”; Paul 
urges the Ephesian “elders” to “take heed” to themselves and 
“to all the flock” over which the Holy Spirit had made them 
“bishops”; and Peter urges his fellow “elders” to “tend the 
flock of God,” and to take “the oversight, . . . ensamples 
to the flock.” 

This same usage has given to ministers of the Church, 
through all the Christian centuries, and in all the separated 
communions, a common title, universally reverenced and 
loved. It at once implies the close and tender relation which 
the “minister” of the Church sustains to the people he serves, 
and it indicates the main functions he is expected to fulfill 
as those of spiritual care and nurture and leadership. 

At the present time the duties of the pastor are commonly 
understood to include the work of preaching—and, indeed, the 
shepherd must feed his flock, and public discourse is one of 
the best methods of dispensing spiritual food; but, as a matter 
of fact, one might never preach and yet be a good pastor, and 
one might be an eloquent preacher and leave the greater por- 
tion of his pastoral work undone. Much might be said in 
favor of separating the task of preaching from the other duties 
of the pastoral office. Many ministers are so involved in the 
duties of the parish that they leave no time or strength to pre- 
pare themselves for the pulpit; while others spend so much 


.~ 


‘ 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 3 


effort in the composition of sermons that they find themselves 
out of touch with their people, and their churches become 
mere audiences, rather than congregations known as _ indi- 
viduals by a spiritual leader, and organized by him into active 
forces disciplined for aggressive social and religious service. 
It is futile to discuss the relative importance of preaching 
when compared with the remaining tasks of the pastor; both 
are indispensable. Many churches are so large as to need 


‘more than one pastor, but none is so small that it can be 


served properly by a minister who is only a preacher. 

One who is relieved of many parish duties that he may 
devote himself more exclusively to his pulpit work, cannot 
preach helpfully without that knowledge of his people and 
that sympathy with their needs which comes in no other way 
than by performing a certain amount of pastoral service; and 
one who alone undertakes the charge of a church must remem- 
ber that while it is his duty to prepare seriously for his public 
services, he has also private and personal ministries which 
must be fulfilled in his own home, in the families of his people, 
and in the community in which he lives. As a true shepherd 
he must care for the spiritual welfare of the young, of the 
aged, of the sick, of the sorrowing, of the unbelieving, of the 
lost, of the backsliding, of the indifferent, of the deluded, of 
the doubting, of the seeker after truth. 

He must also be a leader in solving the pressing problems 
of religious education in the home, the church, and the school. 
He must guide his people in the service of the community, and 
in applying to the conditions of modern life the social teach- 
ings of Christ. He must direct his parishioners to active 
participation in definite evangelistic and missionary work. He 
must relate the activities of his local congregation to those of 
the denomination to, which he belongs and to the larger work 
and progress of the universal Church. Thus the duties of the 
pastor include the tasks of discipline, of organization, of 
administration and of leadership. These involve difficult 
tasks, but only in seeking to perform them can one show 


v himself to be a faithful shepherd in the flock of Christ. 


+ THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


2. Tue PREPARATION OF THE PASTOR 


The duties of modern pastors are so exacting and complex 
as to demand for their accomplishment men possessed of the 
highest qualities of mind and spirit, who also have received 
a technical training for their special work. As to this matter 
many mistaken theories have obtained. 

First of all, a false alternative has been proposed between 
mental and spiritual qualifications for the Christian ministry. 
Some persons seem to suppose that if a candidate possesses 
sufficient piety he has little need of brains; and on the other 
hand, such disproportionate stress is sometimes laid upon the 
necessary academic attainment that it is to be feared some 
students for the ministry finish their course of preparation 
with no more spiritual vigor than they possessed when it was 
begun. The Church at large realizes that neither set of quali- 
ties is useless, but both are essential to success; and further, 
that it is not the part of wisdom to emphasize either to 
the disparagement or the neglect of the other. 

Again, there are those who seem to suppose that no one 
should volunteer as a candidate for the office of pastor who 
does not already possess distinguishing gifts of nature and of 
grace. Fortunately most theological institutions are con- 
ducted in a more hopeful and heroic spirit and proceed upon 
the assumptions that the mind can be trained and Christian 
virtues can be nurtured, and that helpful pastors can be de- 
veloped out of students who are neither intellectual giants nor 
conspicuous saints. Again, there are persons who maintain 
that while a minister can be taught the content of his message, 
he need not or cannot be trained to perform the functions of 
his office. These persons insist that preachers and pastors are 
“born and not made,” and that if a candidate has acquired 
enough religious facts and theories, no further discipline will 
materially affect his success in the ministry. So far has 
theory, more or less unconsciously, affected our systems of 
theological instruction that sometimes they produce scholars 
but not preachers, and even when they produce scholarly 
preachers they do not always produce pastors. 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 5 


Recent years, however, have witnessed a marked change 
in the training schools of practically all denominations. Their 
curriculums show a recognition of the fact that the public 
proclamation of the gospel, the spiritual care of souls, the con- 
duct of religious education, and the organization of church 
work, are the most difficult of sciences and the highest of arts, 
and thus demand for intending pastors the most definite in- 
struction both as to principles and methods of work. For 
the mental training of the pastor, therefore, the requisites 
still include, in addition to the discipline of the lower schools 
and of the university or college, courses covering three years 
in the study of the original languages of Scripture, of Biblical 
interpretation, of theology, of apologetics, of Church history, 
and of homiletics; but as the pastor is not only to preach but 
also to render that most exacting of all services, namely, the 
care of human souls, new stress is being laid upon psychology, 
upon spiritual diagnosis, and upon the best methods of dealing 
with the religious needs of separate individuals. 

Yet the pastor of to-day is more than a preacher and a 
physician of souls; he is also a director in the vast field of 
religious education. He needs to understand some of the 
principles of pedagogy, and to be taught how to arrange and 
to correlate the courses of instruction given in connection 
with the home, the church, and the school. 

Then again the pastor is the leader of a society of Chris- 
tians. The knowledge of how to organize his forces, to sys- 
tematize the finances of his church, to participate in the work 
of the ecclesiastical courts and benevolent agencies, to lead 
his people in the service of the community, and to relate his 
own task to that of the universal Church, is not a matter of 
intuition, but of careful instruction, and it demands specific 
information, wise guidance and patient study. The modern 
pastor needs an acquaintance with sociology, and should know 
something of the complicated forces of modern life; he also 
should have a wide knowledge of the history, principles, and 
practice of Christian missions. 

This broadening of the course of intellectual preparation is 
beset with difficulties and sounds to many like a counsel of 


6 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


perfection. It must be admitted that the portions of three 
short years now allotted to theological study are already over- 
crowded. Much must be left to individual initiative on the 
part of students. 

Some, however, are wise in spending two or three years, 
after graduation, under the guidance of successful pastors. 
Such assistant ministers usually receive more assistance than 
they give; but they can render certain forms of service, and 
the experience they enjoy will prove of great value to them, 
and through them be valuable to the congregations to which 
they will minister in future years. 

However, the spiritual preparation of a pastor is of no less 
importance than his mental training; and it, too, must be 
regarded as a matter of nurture and of systematic de- 
velopment. 

The supreme requisites for pastoral success are love for 
men and love for Christ, and these are not to be regarded as 
matters merely of gift, but also of growth. All the Christian 
virtues can be cultivated, but young men need to be trained 
and guided in this sphere of experience quite as truly as in the 
realms of theological science and of Biblical exegesis. A chair 
of experimental religion would be an innovation in most 
theological institutions, but it might mark an advance in 
their usefulness. Meanwhile, every candidate for the office 
of pastor must seek to develop personally those qualities of a 
true shepherd which he finds in the character of Christ, and 
to endeavor, by daily self-denial and discipline, to show his 
sympathy, his patience, his courage, and his love. The 
supreme demand made by the Master of those who aspire to 
this sacred office is voiced in his question to the Apostle Peter: 
“Lovest thou me?” The man who can answer with sincerity: 
“Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,” will surely receive 
_/the blessed commission: “Feed my lambs. ... Tend my 
sheep.” 


3. Tue CALL TO THE OFFICE 


It is a matter of deep concern that right conceptions should 
prevail as to the real character of a call to the pastoral office. 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE (p 


False notions of this call have deprived the Church of the 
services of well qualified and consecrated men; while, for the 
same reason, some have undertaken pastoral work who could 
have been far more useful in other walks of life. 

On the other hand, the confidence of truly having been 
called has sustained many ministers in hours of disappoint- 
ment, of apparent failure, of hardship and distress, and has 
encouraged them to heroic effort and to fruitful toil. 

Probably agreement upon an exact definition of this call 
is not to be expected, for, as with all spiritual experiences, 
different elements are emphasized and differing explanations 
are found in each individual case. However, it seems to be 
generally conceded that this call consists essentially in such 
an expression of the divine will as produces the conviction 
that it is the privilege and duty of one to devote his life to the 
work of the Christian ministry. 

The call is divine; it does not consist merely in a human 
and arbitrary choice of a profession. ‘The call is of God; but 
this does not mean that it is mystical or magical or miraculous. 
God usually works through natural means, and by processes 
that can be analyzed and understood. This is not always 
so; sometimes by the immediate action of his Spirit, or by 
methods which cannot be explained, he creates a conviction 
of duty in the human soul; but such a conviction, if a real 
call of God, must be capable of vindication in the court of 
reason, and of conscience and of common sense; and the very 
facts on which such a vindication is based are those by which, 
in more normal cases, the conviction has been produced. 

For instance, a man may feel certain that he has been called 
to the ministry because of some vision or dream or startling 
experience, or he may be quite unable to give any rational 
explanation of the origin of his conviction; but if his call is 
real, his “feeling” will stand the test of the facts by which 
God more commonly voices his call to men. 

These facts may be classified generally under three heads— 
personal qualifications, right motives, and providential cir- 
cumstances. If a man feels called to the work of a pastor 
but possesses no qualifications for the office, if his secret 


8 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


motives are unworthy, if he has no opportunity for prepara- 
tion and no church desires his services, then in the name of 
reason and conscience and common sense he should seriously 
question the correctness of his feeling. 

On the other hand, if a man who is seeking to know the 
will of God for his life finds that he possesses gifts which 
qualify him for the ministry, if he loves men and loves the 
Lord and really desires unselfish service, if he can secure an 
education, and finally, if he is invited by a church to be its 
pastor, he may be justified in concluding that by all these 
means God has been calling him to this sacred office; and 
usually, by these very means, the conviction is wrought that 
it 1s one’s privilege and duty to undertake pastoral service. 

These qualifications for the pastorate are physical and 
mental, as well as moral and spiritual. In no sphere is per- 
fection to be expected. The Church, like the world, 1s served 
by men of average abilities. However, some fitness for his 
work will be possessed by the man whom God calls to his 
highest sphere of service. As to physical qualifications, if a 
man be blind or deaf, or has an impediment in his speech, or of 
an incurable weakness, he should seriously question his call. It 
is true that marked bodily defects have been overcome, and 
men have succeeded in spite of them, but soundness of body 
is the common requisite for pastoral work. 

The mental qualifications of a candidate for the ministry 
are even more important. He should have some facility in 
public speech, some powers of logical thought, some ability 
for administration, some capacity for hard work. 

The moral and spiritual qualifications are supreme. Con- 
stant growth and development are to be expected, and grace 
will triumph over nature; however, men who are constitu- 
tionally morbid or gloomy or timid or selfish, men who lack 
clear convictions as to fundamental spiritual realities, men 
who have incurable doubts as to the authority of Scripture, 
the person and work of Christ, and the divine efficacy of the 
gospel, can have little hope of success in Christian service in 
the work of the Church and in the care of souls. 

Closely allied to moral and spiritual qualifications is the 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 9 


matter of motives. These must be unselfish. Few men are 
so ignorant as to seek to enter the ministry in order to secure 
financial support, but some, possibly unconsciously, are im- 
pelled by a desire to display those very powers which, if truly 
consecrated to Christ, would assure usefulness. It is not a 
sufficient motive to feel that “there is nothing else” one can 
do nor even to be persuaded that one “can do more good in 
the ministry” than in another sphere of life. There must be a 
real love for Christ and a desire to serve others for his sake. 

However, providential circumstances are usually the de- 
termining factors in convincing one that it is his duty to 
undertake the work of a pastor. These include the influences 
of home, the advice of friends, books, sermons, notable deliver- 
ances from death or danger, unexpected opportunities for 
securing an education, sudden bereavements, or the hedging 
up of one’s path so that a voice seems to be heard saying, 
“This is the way, walk thou in it.” 

Supreme among these circumstances, as already intimated, 
is the request of some church for the pastoral services of one 
who, perhaps until that very hour, may not have been certain 
of the will of God for his life. This action of the church 
is often designated “the outward call.” Of course, a church 
may be mistaken. It may be satisfied with some one whom 
God has not called; and one called of God may wait long for 
an invitation to a church; but usually the call of the church 
is regarded as the voice of God, and it commonly comes as a 
strong confirmation of a conviction already formed. 

These three factors, personal qualifications, right motives, 
and providential circumstances, may be variously combined 
and in different proportions. Sometimes a man has meager 
qualifications, but an eager desire for the work and large 
opportunities for preparation; another man has gifts which 
promise success, but finds great obstacles to be overcome. 
More usually, however, all three factors are united to express 
the divine will and to produce a conviction of duty. This 
does not mean that reason is overpowered and the will sur- 
renders to forces from without. The decision is perfectly 
rational, One considers his qualifications, he scrutinizes his 


10 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


motives, he weighs the providences, and when the conviction 
of duty is recognized it can be reasonably justified and 
explained. 

This conviction may be formed gradually; it may be felt, 
by different persons, with varying degrees of intensity, and 
more or less deeply by the same person at different times; but 
when it is produced by the factors named, or, however pro- 
duced, can be tested by them, it truly may be recognized as 
the result and expression of a divine call. 

Possibly just here the call to the pastoral office may differ 
from that to other forms of service. In their essence they are 
the same, namely, expressions of the divine will; but in the 
former case, as the ultimate issues will be more vital, so the 
conviction of duty is usually more profound. One becomes 
conscious not merely of making a wise choice but also of 
accepting a solemn obligation. He feels that to follow any 
other vocation would, for him, be wrong. He is convinced 
that his Lord is summoning him to a definite, unique, and 
difficult task; and thus, while conscious of unworthiness, he 
trusts him for all needed grace. 


4. Tue CHOICE oF A FIELD 


When one has become reasonably certain that it is his duty 
and privilege to undertake the work of a pastor, his next great 
problem will be to discover his place of service or the flock for 
which he is to care. Will this be on the foreign field or in the 
homeland, in a city church or in a rural church, in a university 
town or among a population of foreigners? As the conviction 
of a call may deepen during the course of preparation, so the 
final answer to this question may be deferred until its close. 

From some points of view the phrase ‘choice of a field” is 
an unhappy expression. It seems to indicate that this is a 
matter of purely human determination and of personal prefer- 
ence, Just as, on the other hand, a “call to the ministry” sug- 
gests to some people an experience in which the human reason 
plays no part. Both the call to the ministry and the choice of 
a field must be regarded in their last analysis as expressions 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 11 


of the will of God, and yet both involve the exercise of human 
reason and the formation of rational judgments. 

It is usually true also that the very factors by which God 
voices his call to the pastoral office are those which must be 
considered seriously if one is to be led into his rightful field of 
labor. That is to say, when contemplating any place or form 
of service, one must be guided in his choice by considering 
his qualifications, his motives, and all the circumstances of the 
case. With these in mind, if a man is seriously seeking to 
know the will of God, he can scarcely go astray. 

Surely one should not undertake a work for which he is 
certain that he has no fitness or preparation; on the other 
hand, he must not allow fear, pride, vanity, or selfishness to 
determine his choice; again, insuperable obstacles may block 
his path in one direction, while in another may be discerned 
a door of great meeriiiecs 

Take, for example, the case of one who is ancien the 
question of volunteering for service on the foreign field, a 
question which must be faced honestly by every candidate fet 
the ministry. The presumption is that this will be his field 
of service, for here are the fewest workers and here is the 
greatest need. In determining his decision he must consider 
his personal qualifications. For this work physical health, 
mental vigor, and spiritual power are requisites. As to the 
first, one is aided in his decision by the opinion of a Christian 
physician; as to the second, in addition to the qualifications 
of the pastor who labors at home, there must be a reasonable 
proficiency in acquiring foreign languages; as to the third, 
moral and spiritual deficiencies unfit one for service anywhere, 
yet it is true that the more isolated stations on distant fields 
present more temptations, demand more patience and courage 
and greater powers of cooperation, and offer less support to 
moral and spiritual life, than is the case in most positions at 
home. Can these requirements be met? 

More important still is the matter of motive. Is it fear of 
sacrifice or of hardship, is 1t pride or ambition, which turn one 
away from this field? On the other hand, does one feel that 
he must volunteer simply because he is sure that he would 


12 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


there encounter more suffering and distress? The latter does 
not constitute a call to the foreign field. One could make 
himself miserable in a variety of ways, even if he remained 
at home. Hardship may be an incident; it is not the essence 
of foreign service. The comparative difficulty of a path is no 
sure evidence of the will of God. Other things being equal, 
he sends us to serve where we shall be happiest and most 
content. The question to ask is this: Do I see a place of 
supreme need, and have I the ability and the desire to 
meet this need? One who does not wish to go can hardly 
have been called to the foreign field. 

Then there is the matter of providential circumstances. 
These must be thoughtfully weighed. Sometimes there are 
obstacles which cannot be overcome. ‘There may be relatives 
absolutely dependent upon one for support. There may be 
burdens which cannot be shunned. There may be forms of 
service in the homeland which must be assumed. On the other 
hand, one must not wait for a special or mystical summons. 
The call to service in Mexico is no more magical or miraculous 
than the call to serve in New Mexico or in Maine. The clear- 
est call of God is voiced in the need of the millions who are 
scattered and distressed as sheep having no shepherd. The 
call is as definite as a “call” from a New Jersey church. If 
one has the necessary qualities, if he wishes to accept the 
opportunity, and if it is possible for him to go, this “choice of 
a field” is one which will seldom result in disappointment or. 
regret. 

Yet, not all men are “called” to the foreign field; and the 
same process must be followed in considering the claims of a 
city church, a country church, or a mission church at home. 
One must regard his ability, his training, his aptitudes; he 
must examine his motives and be absolutely honest with him- 
self, and he must be certain that his decision is not being 
determined by any consideration of which his Master does 
not approve. 

Furthermore, he must weigh the providences and note in 
what direction openings are being offered. He must fix for 
himself no arbitrary rule. It was once the fashion to advise 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 13 


all young ministers to begin their work in the country; now it 
is more usual to tell them to serve two years as an assistant 
minister in a city church. But is it wise for men to mark 
out the way in which the providences of God must move? 
It would probably savor as much of common sense to advise 
every intending pastor to serve wherever he gets a chance, and 
to thank God for the opportunity. 

Opportunities are sure to come; no man need be anxious; 
usually he will be privileged to choose between two or more 
possibilities; if then, before the opening avenues of service, 
he carefully considers his aptitudes, his motives, and the lead- 
ings of providence, there will be little doubt that his choice of 
a field will prove to be in accordance with the will of God. 


5. CANDIDATING, ORDINATION, AND INSTALLATION 


When one who believes himself called of God to the pas- 
torate has made such preparation as the Church requires, he 
should regard himself as a candidate for the sacred office. As 
such he should not refuse to appear before a congregation 
which is seeking a pastor; nor should he hesitate to have his 
name presented to the officers of such a congregation or to 
some committee to which the matter of securing a pastor has 
been intrusted. 

It is true that the whole matter of ‘“candidating” has been 
attended by such evils that the very term has fallen into dis- 
repute. These evils, of course, are to be avoided. On the 
part of a church, it should adopt the rule of considering and 
hearing only one candidate at a time; to him a call should be 
extended or his name should be dropped. 

On the part of the candidate, likewise, there is to be only 
fair and frank dealing. He is not to coquet with churches; 
nor is he to delay his answer to a call in hope of receiving 
some more flattering invitation. Yet he must not be expected 
to give a definite decision until assured that a call will be 
issued and will be the practically unanimous wish of the 
people. On the other hand, while a church may intrust the 
matter of securing a pastor to a representative committee, 


14 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the report of such committee need not be regarded as final. 
It is only reasonable that before a candidate promises to serve 
a church, or a church intrusts its sacred interests to a candi- 
date, there should be at least some opportunity of mutual 
acquaintance. The fuller the knowledge possessed by both 
parties, the larger is the promise of satisfaction and success. 
The position of a candidate is both difficult and delicate. It 
demands humility, magnanimity, and courage; but it need not 
be regarded as undignified, humiliating, or unnatural. It is 
merely the position of one who, having been called to a sacred 
office, is seeking to learn the will of God as to the exact place 
where this office can best be exercised. 


As soon as a candidate has been called by a local church, or 
has been assured of appointment by a Mission Board, he is in 
a position to apply for ordination. 

This act is performed by the presbytery, or, in Churches 
other than the Presbyterian, by some similar body competent 
to represent the whole Church. The service consists essentially 
of prayer and the imposition of hands, in which latter cere- 
mony all the ministers of the presbytery who are present may 
take part. A candidate is not ordained, however, until he has 
first been examined and has satisfied the members of presby- 
tery that he possesses the qualifications and has received the 
preparation which the high office of pastor demands. 

Ordination is, therefore, a solemn appointment to office, in 
view of recognized abilities, and in virtue of a call to a definite 
church. One thus ordained is competent to serve as pastor in 
any congregation of the entire denomination. His ordination 
is for life, or until he is deposed or demits the ministry. 

One who is to be appointed by a Mission Board is ordained, 
technically, as an “evangelist.” He is qualified, however, to 
exercise all the functions of the pastoral office in any part of 
the world and needs no further sanction for such service. 

The candidate who is being ordained should be impressed 
by two facts, at least: First, he should recognize the serious 
and solemn character of the ceremony: by it he is being ad- 
mitted to an office of peculiar holiness, he is assuming the 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 15 


gravest responsibilities, he is being granted the greatest of 
privileges. Second, he should consider the sanctity of the 
vows, which, after his examination and before his ordination, 
he publicly assumes. He should ponder carefully what he 
professes to believe and what he promises to do. He should 
remember that these are voluntary vows, but if once taken 
they are to be neither broken nor recalled. 


One who has been ordained in view of a call to a certain 
church should be installed at the earliest convenient date. 
Installation differs from ordination in that the latter admits 
one to a permanent office, while the former establishes a rela- 
tion to a particular church. A candidate is ordained but once; 
he will be installed as pastor of each successive church he 
may serve. 

In arranging for the installation service, the wishes of the 
congregation should be consulted, both as to the most appro- 
priate time and as to those who are to have a part in the 
ceremony; for they then promise loyally to support and to 
cooperate with the pastor, even as he definitely declares that 
he will faithfully serve the church. Thus by mutual pledges 
the pastoral relation is established, and when these promises 
have been made, a prayer is offered asking the blessing of God 
upon the union thus formed. 

After this prayer, a charge is delivered to the newly in- 
. stalled pastor, and a similar charge to the people. An installa- 
‘tion service, therefore, usually follows this order: (1) Devo- 
tional exercises, including a sermon. (2) The propounding 
of the Constitutional questions by the moderator of presby- 
tery, or other presiding officer. (3) The prayer of installa- 
tion. (4) The charge to the pastor. (5) The charge to the 
people. (6) The benediction by the pastor. (7) Personal 
greetings and congratulations. 


6. Tuer LENGTH oF A PASTORATE 


The question as to the relative advantage of a long or a 
short pastorate is one in which men of equal wisdom differ. 


16 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


It is certain, however, that an unworthy and inefficient man 
cannot leave a church too quickly, and that, on the other 
hand, a congregation which is unsympathetic and unkind 
should not be allowed to torment a pastor interminably. 

Under normal conditions a pastoral relation should not be 
severed within four or five years. In many cases a change 
may be advantageous to all parties after the lapse of ten or 
fifteen years. However, in case a pastor is able, efficient, 
faithful, and beloved, the longer he remains in a field, the 
greater will be his influence and power. 

As a matter of theory, long pastorates may be gaining in 
favor, and some denominations which once by rule terminated 
all pastorates briefly now allow them to be continued quite 
indefinitely. As a matter of fact, in all denominations, pas- 
torates are becoming shorter and shorter. 

After all, the church is not confronted by a theory, but a 
condition, and that, too, a condition involving grave peril, 
serious abuses, and great waste. All who are concerned should 
aim to do everything in their power to allay the prevailing 
spirit of unrest and to alter the practice of the continual, fre- 
quent, and unwise sundering of pastoral relations. 

Congregations should do more for the comfort and en- 
couragement of their pastors, and the latter should not regard 
the acceptance of a charge as a mere temporary arrangement 
but as a probable settlement for life. 

One of the chief causes for unreasonably brief pastorates is 
found in a false conception of the essential nature of the pas- 
toral office and in a neglect of some of its most important 
functions. If the whole duty of a pastor consisted in preach- 
ing, then he might change his field of labor continually; such 
a peripatetic and itinerant ministry would involve little loss; 
but if the pastor is a shepherd of souls, if each year is binding 
him by tender and sacred ties to an increasing number of 
individual lives, then these ties cannot be broken without 
occasioning pain, sacrifice, and distress. 

If, furthermore, the pastor is fulfilling his task in the sphere 
of religious education, then he is building into his church new 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE aif 


foundations and making it possible for him to continue in one 
place indefinitely. If, again, he regards his flock not merely 
as an audience to be addressed but as a force to be led in the 
service of the community and in the evangelization of the 
world, then the longer he remains in a field, the more perfect 
and efficient his plans and organization can become. 

If one has been led to accept the charge of a congregation, 
if he is being blessed in his work, if he enjoys the confidence 
and affection of his people, if he is wisely building for the 
future of his church, then he should not relinquish his task 
because of any theory as to the value of short pastorates, but 
only when he is certain that he is obeying the clear voice of 
God. 


7. TEMPTATIONS, TRIALS, AND REWARDS 


The first peril of the pastor is that of supposing himself 
immune from the temptations to which other men are exposed. 
As a matter of fact, he furnishes for the Adversary a peculi- 
arly shining mark. The forms of his temptations are so 
familiar that they hardly need to be enumerated, but for him 
some of them are peculiarly severe. 

He is tempted by laziness. He does not usually yield, and 
if he does, his sin is less speedily detected than in the case of 
other men. His time is largely at his own disposal, with the 
exception of two or three engagements a week; for him no 
whistle blows, no bell sounds, and he alone knows how his 
hours are being spent. He is peculiarly beset by that most 
subtle form of slothfulness, namely, the inclination to under- 
take the easiest things first, to the neglect of the more difficult 
and more important. Some of the laziest men in the world 
are the busiest; every hour is crowded with worthless trifles, 
while grave responsibilities are shirked or unworthily per- 
formed. The faithful pastor, most of all men, must harbor his 
resources, must plan his work wisely, must utilize the frag- 
ments of time, and must train himself to constant and stren- 
uous endeavor. 

On the other hand, the pastor, quite as commonly, is 


18 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


tempted to overwork. He realizes that his task is never done. 
His sermons may be properly prepared and delivered, but 
even the smallest parish presents duties which press cease- 
lessly upon the conscience of a zealous worker. If his time is 
regarded as his own, surely the plans of no other man are so 
often interrupted by unexpected demands; and no one is more 
in danger of denying himself needed rest and relaxation in an 
effort to accomplish within a given period some apparently 
imperative task. Some ministers fail because of laziness; quite 
as many break from overstrain. 

This latter peril is often due to ambition and if mentioned 
third, ambition surely is one of the most conspicuous tempta- 
tions of the Christian pastor. The lust for place and promi- 
nence and power has driven many men to undertake work far 
beyond their strength and to injure themselves physically and 
mentally and spiritually. One of the most pitiful results of 
ambition is seen in the envy which secretly embitters the lives 
of even the most successful workers, and which so often ex- 
presses itself in unkindly judgments of others. Ministers are 
not always the kindest of critics. 

Another temptation of a like nature is that of covetousness, 
In the case of a pastor this does not mean an inordinate desire 
for money; for him such a desire is hopeless. It consists 
rather in an excessive love of other things which minister to 
selfish gratification. Admiration, applause, and praise, the 
indulgence of personal tastes for study and intellectual pur- 
suits, social recognition, and the enjoyment of hospitality and 
proffered luxury—all these are given to the pastor more than 
to any other man of equal attainments; he sees them within his 
reach, and his desire for them may endanger his career. 

Then there is pride. If a pastor does attain position and 
prominence and power, if he is the continual recipient of 
praise and of social favors, there is great danger of his being 
puffed up with conceit, of becoming self-conscious and vain, 
of assuming the air of an autocrat and the attitude of a czar. 
Even to-day some pastors need the warning of Peter: “Tend 
the flock of God . . . neither as lording it over the charge 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 19 


allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the 
flock.” 

On the other hand, if one fails of success, if he receives no 
such recognition as he craves, and no such indulgences as he 
desires, he is in danger of despondency, which, indeed, may 
be named as a sixth temptation of Christian pastors. Some 
seem continually to be victims of gloom and melancholy. At 
times this is due to other causes, such as passing doubts, tem- 
porary ill health, or nervous debility; but surely one of the 
chief qualifications for pastoral service is a buoyant spirit 
and a cheerful heart. 

One more temptation must be named in any such list of 
“seven deadly sins,” and that is the temptation to impurity. 
Instead of being exempt from this peril, the duties of the 
pastor are such as to expose him to continual danger. He 
must carefully guard his thoughts, he must be discreet in his 
acts, and must avoid the least appearance of evil. 


Not only is the pastor beset by temptations, but he is also 
subjected to trials which are very real and very bitter; how- 
ever, the compensations are so great, that his life is one of 
peculiar privilege and joy. 

First of all, as most familiar, may be mentioned his small 
salary. This has been for years a public scandal, due either 
to carelessness on the part of congregations or to a mistaken 
and shortsighted policy. No church can hope to be served 
efficiently by a pastor who is not receiving adequate financial 
support; yet it is true that in the case of too many ministers, 
financial difficulties are a continual source of anxiety and 
distress. 

On the other hand, it must be remembered that while the 
salary of a pastor is small, it is usually sure. He is more 
certain than most men as to what his income is to be and 
when it will be received. 

Then, too, he is the recipient of recompenses of many kinds. 
He is given a social status which is possible for no one of 
equally limited means; and he enjoys pleasures and can follow 
pursuits usually denied to all but the rich. If one has in 


20 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


mind, also, the spiritual satisfactions granted both for time 
and for eternity, it may be asserted that the pastor is the 
best paid man in the world. 

In the second place may be mentioned his uncertain tenure 
of office. One who is not peculiarly gifted and successful is 
not certain of being retained long in his position, and all 
pastors are continually reminded of a “dead line,” which is 
constantly being drawn at an earlier and earlier age. The 
latter fact reflects discredit upon such churches as are refus- 
ing the services of men of mature years and are placing an 
unwise premium upon the inexperience of youth. On the 
other hand, it is a stimulus to pastors, reminding them that 
it is necessary to be mentally alert, to cultivate sympathies 
with the young, and to be diligent in that discharge of pas- 
toral duties which even more than eloquent preaching assures 
the long continuance of a pastorate. 

Lack of sympathy is another common trial. It is expressed 
in the form of criticism or opposition or neglect. In such an 
atmosphere, spiritual service is almost impossible. Many 
pastors know what it is to carry, in secret, broken hearts. 

Yet on the other hand, under normal conditions, no man 
in the community is more appreciated and praised than the 
pastor. He must not expect to please everybody. Some 
persons will disapprove, misinterpret, even despise. How- 
ever, his very duties will endear him to an ever enlarging 
circle who will lavish affection upon him and manifest toward 
him their lasting love. 

Many pastors are tried continually by their consciousness 
of intellectual limitations and of spiritual imperfection. They 
feel unworthy of their task and their calling. On the other 
hand, it must be remembered that no other men have larger 
opportunities for culture, and no other form of activity is so 
calculated to develop likeness to Christ as is the work of a 
pastor. 

At times, the public service of Christ exposes one to danger 
from disease, to perils by land and sea, to physical privations 
and distress, even to violence and death. However, those who 
have passed through many of these experiences testify that 


THE PASTORAL OFFICE 21 


they were more than recompensed by a consciousness of the 
presence of their Lord, and of the privilege of suffering for 
his sake. 

The life of a Christian pastor does involve sacrifice and 
trials; but his rewards are incomparably great even now, and 
“when the chief Shepherd shall_be manifested” he will “receive 
the crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 


CHAPTER II 
THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 


1. Puysican HRAuTH 


In the personal life of the pastor a matter of prime impor- 
tance is the maintenance of his bodily health. If sickliness 
and saintliness ever were regarded as inseparable, and if 
bodily mortification once was believed necessary to spiritual 
growth, those days are past. All intelligent persons now know 
that both mental and spiritual states depend largely upon 
physical conditions; that health of body, although often a gift, 
is as frequently an achievement; and that the maintenance 
of physical vigor is a science, the laws of which must be 
studied and obeyed. 

Because he knows the sacredness of the body, because of 
the severe demands of his tasks, because his success depends 
so largely upon unimpaired physical vigor, every pastor 
should read books of hygiene and should regulate his life in 
accordance with their practically uniform rules. 

a. Care must be exercised as to hours and habits of 
work. In itself, work is a benefit, not an injury, to bodily 
health; and the exceptional length of life enjoyed by ministers 
is an intimation of the peculiarly healthful character of their 
tasks. Certain conditions, however, must be observed. 

Severe mental strain should be confined, as far as possible, 
to the early portions of the day, and should not be continued 
into the hours of the night. The pastor, in comparison with 
many persons, should rise early and retire early, devoting the 
first hours of the day to study. 

His place of study, if possible, should be provided with 
abundant light and air and heat, and his time should be kept 
free from interruptions. However, mental effort should not be 

22 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 23 


too long continued, but should be relieved by occasional brief 
changes of posture and thought. Periods of work also should 
be kept free from worry. An effort should be made so to plan 
the engagements of the day and week that feverish haste and 
anxiety may not be felt in the accomplishment of regular 
tasks. Usually it is not the work, but the worry, that weak- 
ens and wears. 

b. Work, however, must be relieved by definite intervals 
of rest. A mere change of occupation is not sufficient for 
the recuperation of mind and body. Sufficient sleep is an 
absolute condition of health. The exact amount differs in 
individual cases. Eight hours out of twenty-four is a fair 
average. Regular hours should be maintained; but there is 
benefit also, in cultivating the ability to lapse into brief 
periods of sleep when unusual weariness or extraordinary 
strain may demand. 

Just before retiring for the night the brain should not be 
severely taxed. A little time of relaxation first should be 
allowed, and deep breathing or other gentle exercises should 
be taken. : 

Even without sleep, a recumbent posture of the body is 
restful, and should be adopted, if possible, when one feels 
fatigue; but in this position one should do little talking or 
reading or mental work. 

A pastor usually is denied the week-end rest which so many 
other people enjoy. He should, however, so prepare for his 
tasks, and so order his engagements, that this day will be 
relieved from all needless strain and more time than usual 
may be alloted to sleep. Furthermore, the law of weekly 
rest may be observed by taking for relaxation either the 
whole of another day or parts of two days. 

A pastor need not hesitate to take an annual vacation 
covering a period of weeks. This should be a time of relaxa- 
tion. It is fair neither to himself nor to his people to accept 
engagements which will deplete his strength. As to the best 
way of spending such weeks, tastes and opinions will differ, 
but they should result in a physical and mental preparation 
for more efficient work. 


24 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


c. A proper amount of physical exercise is another con- 
dition of health. This may be taken in the form of walking, 
playing tennis or golf, skating, riding, or similar recreations. 
One must be on his guard lest some favorite sport involves 
an expenditure of too much time. However, exercise is more 
beneficial if of a character which is enjoyed. 

For many men calisthenics*or brisk walks seem to suffice. 
In any case there is no benefit in developing large muscles; 
the latter may absorb a disproportionate amount of blood, and 
even may encase the lungs too heavily. Physical develop- 
ment should begin with that of the lungs, and the benefit of 
exercise is not so much in the enlargement of the muscles as 
in producing more rapid breathing and a more vigorous cir- 
culation of the blood, and clearing the brain, stimulating the 
digestive organs, and nourishing the nerves. 

One must guard against overexertion. Periods of severe 
mental strain should not be periods of violent or continued 
physical exercise. Fatigue is fatigue, whether mental or 
physical; the vital force is depleted and should not be further 
taxed. Thus, while Saturday may be a good day for recre- 
ation, a minister must be careful lest by too much exercise 
he unfit himself for the strain of Sunday; so, too, the physical 
exertion of any afternoon may be such as to interfere with 
efficient mental work at an evening engagement. Thus, on the 
other hand, when one is exhausted mentally, a vacation should 
not be begun by violent physical exertion. 

Public speakers should cultivate the habit of sitting and 
standing erect, and should be careful to exercise the voice 
daily and in accordance with wise directions as to its devel- 
opment and use. 

d. To be kept in health, the body must be properly 
nourished. This depends not so much upon the amount of 
food that is taken as upon the amount that is assimilated; 
so there is as much danger in eating too much as there is in 
eating too little. 

Care must be exercised as to the right selection of food. 
This will be determined in part by the climate and the condi- 
tions of the country in which a person is living, as well as by 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 20 


the kind of work in which he is engaged. A knowledge of 
dietetics should be acquired, not only in the interests of 
health, but also in the interests of economy. The more nour- 
ishing foods are in many cases the least expensive. One 
should eat sparingly of meat. Sugars and fats give necessary 
heat but not strength. A mixed diet is most natural and 
healthful. 

Kat slowly and masticate the food properly. Do not tax 
the brain while eating. 

Avoid tea, coffee, and other stimulants. Do not eat heartily 
before speaking in public or before any other severe mental 
strain, or late at night. However, a little nourishment just 
before retiring may induce sleep. 

Drink abundantly of water, but not an immoderate amount 
with meals, and not immediately before speaking. 

Air is really a form of food, as it supplies the body with the 
necessary oxygen. Therefore, sleep with the windows open 
and get as much air into the lungs as is possible, day and 
night. Do not mistake warm air for bad air or cold air for 
fresh air. However, the quality is even less important than 
the quantity. The importance of deep breathing cannot be 
overestimated. 

e. In maintaining health the matter of eating is closely 
related to that of clothing. Four fifths of the food eaten 
is used to preserve the normal temperature of the body. In- 
sufficient clothing means a loss of heat, an overdrain upon the 
remaining fifth of the food supply, and a consequent impover- 
ishment of the brain and other vital organs. 

Lack of clothing, or chilling the body, also drives the blood 
from the surface and causes the congestions which are popu- 
larly called “colds.” It may be added that when tired the 
body is less able to endure a lower temperature; so fatigue 
and exposure are the most common causes of disease. 

Sitting with wet feet, or in a severe draft, exposing oneself 
to the cold air after speaking, or studying in a poorly heated 
room will induce a cold. When one is warm from exercise 
a cold bath, if taken quickly, will only add to the healthful 


26 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


glow, but a swim in a mountain lake may result in paralysis 
and death. 

Therefore, do not allow the body to be chilled. Warm 
clothing is essential to health. However, it must not be such 
as to overheat the body. In most climates heavy flannel 
underwear is to be avoided, and also too heavy bedclothes; 
the latter may produce restlessness and insomnia. 

Tight clothing should not be tolerated. Public speakers 
should be on their guard against tight collars, belts, and shoes, 
all of which impede the normal circulation of the blood. 

f. Cleanliness is essential to health. ‘This includes the 
care not only of the skin but of all the other organs of elim- 
ination as well. If the latter do not function regularly, re- 
course should not be had to drugs; one should avoid meat, 
eat freely of fruits and fresh vegetables, drink cold water on 
rising in the morning, and when absolutely necessary, resort 
to an internal bath. 

The usual care of the skin should include one or two warm 
baths a week and, in case of sufficient bodily vigor, a cold 
bath every morning. The warm bath usually should be taken 
before retiring; if too hot it will cause insomnia, but a neutral 
bath, about the temperature of the body, is a sedative to the 
nerves and will induce sleep. Cold baths are a powerful 
stimulant and are to be taken only by those persons who find 
that the bath is followed by a pleasurable reaction and health- 
ful glow. 

Cleanliness demands that a pastor should abstain from the 
use of tobacco, and from any other habit which is forbidden 
by experts who train men for the highest efficiency of mind 
and body. | 

In connection with cleanliness, one must be scrupulous in 
the care of the teeth. A competent dentist should be con- 
sulted at frequent intervals, before conditions develop which 
cause great expense and pain; the hygiene of the mouth must 
be understood, and its laws observed. This is requisite to 
& proper appearance, to pure breath, to clear enunciation, and 
to sound health. 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 27 


g. Cheerfulness is a condition of bodily health. The 
effect of mental habits upon physical states is being helpfully 
emphasized at the present day, and, as Bacon wrote, “to be 
free-minded and cheerfully disposed at hours of meat and 
sleep and of exercise, is one of the best precepts of long last- 
ing.” Hope, calmness of mind, kindliness of feeling, the cul- 
tivation of humor, all tend to preserve health; and, in fact, 
when for any reason health has been impaired, recourse 
usually should not be to drugs, but to the aid of what were 
declared by a great English pastor to be the three best physi- 
cians in the world, “Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet, and Doctor 
Merryman.” A confident trust in God and a prayerful en- 
deavor to know his will, cannot fail to be of inestimable help 
in maintaining in health the body which he has taught us to 
regard as the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” 


2. MentTaL DEVELOPMENT 


In addition to the intellectual attainments required of can- 
didates for the pastoral office, the life of a pastor must be one 
of continual mental growth. It is true that God sometimes 
makes wide use of men who, judged by some standards, are 
“unlearned and ignorant,” yet as a rule he accomplishes his 
greatest work through those who have been most carefully 
disciplined and trained. Therefore, one who accepts a posi- 
tion of leadership in the Christian Church should seek ear- 
nestly to develop all the faculties of his mind to the very 
highest degree. He should strive to strengthen his memory, 


~ to train his logical faculties, to stimulate his imagination, 


and to assimilate a constant succession of new ideas. 

The pastor must never cease to be a student. In these days 
of multiplied activities, so great are the demands upon his 
time and strength that the maintenance of studious habits is 
ever more difficult, and unless the pastor is resolute and alert 
he will be distracted from serious mental pursuits, will neglect 
his study, and will find himself unable to feed his flock. 

Of course, mental development depends in large measure 
upon the influence of books. The pastor must possess a 
library. In this matter the narrow policy of some congre- 


28 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


gations is evidenced. They pay such small salaries that their 
pastors cannot afford to buy books. The result is that they 
starve themselves intellectually. 

However, most ministers can secure books from public or 
seminary libraries, and, however poor, can secure some books 
of their own. In fact, there is sometimes developed an in- 
clination to amass a library-too rapidly. No man is more 
often tempted to buy worthless books than is a minister. A 
book should not be purchased simply because it is cheap, nor 
merely because it is attractively advertised, but only when it 
is reasonably certain to fill an actual need. A large library 
is often a mere vanity. 

Therefore, in most cases, the arrested mental development 
of a pastor is due less to his lack of access to books than to 
his lack of time and inclination and purpose to read and to 
study. 

The reading of books must be cultivated as a habit; it 
must be made a rule of life. Not everything will be remem- 
bered, but there is wisdom in the Latin phrase: “Lege, lege, 
aliquid haerebit.” If a man neglects his reading, he soon finds 
his mind moving in a very small circle of ideas, and such a 
mind can have no message for a wide circle of men. 

However, reading must be not only habitual but also 
thoughtfully planned. A wise choice must be exercised. It is 
a childish notion to think that one can read everything; life 
is too short, hours are too few, too much is being printed. As 
Carlyle said, “A fact it is of daily increasing magnitude and 
already terrible importance to readers, that their first grave 
necessity in reading is to be vigilantly, conscientiously select.” 
“Why should a man,” asks John Foster, “except for some 
special reason, read a very inferior book at the very time that 
he might be reading one of the highest order?” Therefore, one 
should not be content with a poor or mediocre book, but should 
endeavor to select the best. 

Nevertheless, reading must be comprehensive. It must not 
be confined to any one realm of literature. Obviously the book 
of supreme importance is the Bible. Men should strive to 
master its contents even though all other books are neglected. 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 29 


No one can succeed as a pastor who lacks an experimental as 
well as an intellectual knowledge of the sacred Scriptures. 

However, it has been said truthfully that “one who knows 
only the Bible does not know the Bible”; that is, no man 
can hope really to understand the Bible unless he is willing to 
consider what others have found it to contain, and unless he 
reads the Book in the light of human history and of the life 
and needs of man as reflected in the literature of the world. 

Therefore, a pastor should read expositions of the Bible, 
and continue the most critical and careful study of its con- 
tents. There is a superficial opinion expressed by some 
thoughtless men who assert boastfully that they ‘despise com- 
mentaries.” They are confident that the Holy Spirit is the 
only guide needed in reading the inspired Word. They forget, 
however, that the Holy Spirit may have been guiding other 
students, whose mature convictions and scholarly conclusions 
wise men do well to weigh. 

So, too, the pastor should read books which set forth Bible 
doctrines in systematized form, the history of Christian doc- 
trine, and books of sermons. A person who is to be a teacher 
of religious truth cannot afford to be ignorant of the best 
Christian thought of the present or of the past. 

The pastor will also find great help and guidance by becom- 
ing familiar with the biographies of great Christian leaders 
and with the history of the Christian Church. However, in 
order to interpret religion rightly to the men of his day, and 
to understand the mental attitude of those to whom he min- 
isters, the pastor must be acquainted with wider fields of 
reading, beginning with the merely secular papers and period- 
icals of the day, but including the great literary classics of all 
the ages. 

The pastor should have some knowledge of science. He can- 
not hope to be an expert or a teacher in this realm, but he can 
find illustrations to employ in enforcing revealed truth, he 
can understand better the temper of his age, and, for instance, 
by the study of psychology, he can meet modern errors of 
thought and can also be better equipped for his own difficult 
task. 


30 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


Nor should the pastor be ignorant of philosophy and fiction, 
of commerce and industry, of the problems of labor and 
capital, and of the solemn import of international relations. 
Many pastors fail to appreciate the value of poetry, and of the 
drama; it might, however, be said that Shakspere stands 
second only to the Bible as an indispensable help to a leader 
of religious thought and life. - 

Though reading is to be thus comprehensive, much 
of it should be concentrated, careful, and assimilative. It is 
not so much a question of the amount read as of the amount 
remembered. The value of reading lies not so much in the 
number of ideas reviewed as in the number which are ab- 
sorbed and which become a part of the reader’s very being. 
While, indeed, most papers and many books are to be skimmed 
or “‘tasted,’”’ some are really to be “digested.”” Some are worthy 
of serious study, and one worthy book really mastered will 
bring more mental enlargement than a dozen books read 
superficially and in careless haste. 

The view of the limitless areas of literature is often discour- 
aging and appalling. It is very difficult to know how to use 
mere fragments of time most wisely. However, it is a great 
aid to keep in view the supreme necessity of having in mind a 
definite purpose. Whether in purchasing a new book or in 
reserving an hour for study, a person should habitually ask 
himself the question: ‘Will this be of real help to me in the 
performance of my important task; will this help me to ac- 
complish more successfully the work of a pastor? With this 
in view, one will not necessarily exclude works of humor or 
of fiction or mere plays of fancy; all these may have a part 
in making “the man of God . . . complete, furnished com- 
pletely unto every good work.” 


3. SociaAL ConpuctT 


Attractive manners are an invaluable asset in the work of 
a pastor and ignorance or disregard of social conventions dis- 
qualify him for his task. Although possessing natural talents 
and deep piety, a man should not expect to succeed in the 
Christian ministry if he wears soiled linen, or appears un- 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 31 


kempt and unshaved, with clothes unbrushed and shoes not 
shined, or if he “eats with his knife” or in the presence of 
others uses a toothpick or cares for his nails. Even less of- 
fensive habits exclude a pastor from circles which need his 
influence and place impassable barriers in the way of his 
usefulness. 

Of course a kind heart, modesty, and a due regard for the 
comfort of others, are the secrets of true politeness; yet even 
the best intentions may not prevent serious errors in social 
conduct. This is particularly true in the case of men who 
are called to labor on foreign fields, where it is absolutely 
essential that social proprieties be regarded. 

In order to acquire a knowledge of etiquette the minister 
must observe the practices which are followed by people of 
refinement; he should also occasionally read a book dealing 
with this specific subject. He will probably find much chaff 
and only a few grains of wheat, but the latter may be well 
worth the search. The observance of such rules must not 
be supposed to result in conduct which is artificial and affected. 
When one really knows how to behave, his manners will be- 
come natural by continual practice in the fine art of politeness. 

a. In general, the deportment of a pastor must be marked 
by dignity. This does not mean stiffness or severity, but it 
does mean that a Christian minister must never descend to 
the level of a mere buffoon or be guilty of frivolity and levity. 
His conduct must always be such as is consistent with the 
seriousness of his calling. 

It must further be marked by discretion. A pastor must 
avoid the appearance of evil and must give no ground for 
\ gossip or scandal, either in business transactions or in personal 
relations. 

A pastor must be affable, easy of approach, sympathetic in 
his bearing, cordial, and genial. His demeanor should also 
~ be marked by humility, which will be impossible if he is con- 
stantly thinking of himself, seeking for praise, and insisting 
upon his own rights. 

His bearing should be marked by gentleness. He must be 


32 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


on his guard against harshness, against boisterous tones, and 
against exhibitions of temper. He must seek to show “sweet 
reasonableness,” to be agreeable, thoughtful, and kind. 

b. It is as true of the minister as of others that “the apparel 
oft proclaims the man.” The dress of a minister is a matter 
of real importance. In some countries and by some churches, 
distinctively clerical garments are required, and a gown must 
always be worn in the pulpit. Usually, however, a pastor is 
allowed much liberty of choice in his dress. The general rule 
is that he should conform to the practice of other gentlemen 
in his community. On formal occasions he may appear in 
evening dress, in a dinner coat, or in a frock coat. He 
should, however, avoid the selection of bright colors or pro- 
nounced patterns. In the pulpit a gown has many advantages 
and may properly be worn in churches where the service is 
somewhat formal. However, in case a gown is not worn, it 
is quite proper to appear in a frock coat. Tan shoes and 
brilliant ties are particularly objectionable. Like other gen- 
tlemen, a minister should be careful to dress so as to attract 
no attention to his attire. His clothing need not be expensive, 
but it should never be slovenly or suggestive of carelessness 
and neglect. 

c. Conversation is an art which requires genius, preparation, 
and practice. It is but little cultivated at the present time. 
Yet even those who expect to claim no proficiency in the art 
must be careful to avoid offense, and should regard certain 
simple rules. Among these, the pastor may find the following 
worthy of notice: He should avoid talking too much, par- 
ticularly of himself or his family or his personal interests. 
Also, a pastor may weary people by always “talking church.” 

On the other hand, when in company he should not affect 
reticence, or fall into the habit of answering merely in mono- 
syllables. With some effort one can at least ask intelligent 
questions which will lead other people to talk. He must avoid 
flattery, adulation, puns, hyperbole, questionable anecdotes, 
arguments, and long stories. He must not repeat gossip; he 
must treat respectfully what is said by others; he must avoid 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 33 


controversy; 1f differences of opinion are expressed, he must 
not lose his temper or speak in a loud voice or interrupt 
others. When in company, he must not whisper or indulge in 
ridicule or converse on subjects which might be distasteful 
to any person present. In conversation, wit consists more 
in discovering it in others than in showing it oneself. One 
should be a good listener and should pay close attention when 
others are speaking. 

d. The correspondence of a pastor occupies a large portion 
of his time and must be conducted with thoughtfulness and 
consideration. He should be prompt in answering letters. 
Post cards are not to be used for private or personal or polite 
correspondence, but only for matters of business. For formal 
correspondence, note paper should be employed, but not sheets 
torn from pads. This note paper may bear one’s initials or 
address, but it should have no ornament. It should be white 
or cream, not of various colors. Ruled paper is not in good 
form. Envelopes should be plain, when mailed, and the stamp 
should always be placed accurately on the upper right-hand 
corner. Government envelopes should not be used except in 
business correspondence. Care should be taken to seal the 
envelope and to address it plainly. Letters of condolence 
should be brief and devoid of cant. Even though recently 
bereaved, one should not write letters of congratulation upon 
mourning paper. 

Invitations should be accepted or declined promptly and 
with due regard to their character. Formal invitations are 
phrased in the third person and must be similarly acknowl- 
edged. Acceptances or regrets must be written by hand and 
it is good form for the words to be spaced as they are in an 
engraved invitation. The following form may be used: 


Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Brown 
accept with pleasure 
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Thompson’s 
kind invitation for dinner 
on Wednesday, the third of December, 
at eight o’clock. 


34 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


A formal regret would read: 
Mr. Archibald Black 
regrets extremely that a previous engagement 
prevents his accepting 
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur White’s 
kind invitation for dinner 
on Monday, the first of June. 


In accepting an invitation, the day and hour must be re- 
peated; in case of sending regrets, the hour is not mentioned. 

An invitation to a church wedding requires no answer; but 
the answer to an invitation to the reception must be written 
by hand, and the spacing of the words must follow that of 
the invitation. 

The second person is used in informal invitations, and these 
are not spaced according to set words on separate lines, but 
written in paragraphs as follows: 


Dear Mr. Clark: 
It will give us very great pleasure to have you dine with 
us on Friday, the third of April, at seven o’clock. 
Hoping that none of your many engagements may prevent, 
Very sincerely yours, 
Martha Rice Taylor. 


Such an invitation might be accepted as follows: 


My dear Mrs. Taylor: 

It affords me much pleasure to accept your gracious in- 
vitation to dinner on Friday evening, the third of April, at 
seven o’clock. 

Thanking you for your kind thought of me, 

Sincerely yours, 
John H. Clark. 


In writing to a stranger, or a business firm, a married 
woman should always sign her baptismal name, and add in 
parenthesis her married name, thus: 

Very truly yours, 
Alice Brown. 
(Mrs. J. Gordon Brown) 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 35 


In addressing a letter to a married woman, even a widow, 
one must always use her husband’s name, as Mrs. James 
Cuthbert. It is quite unallowable to begin a letter “Dear 
Miss,” entirely omitting the name. “Madam,” or ‘Dear 
Madam,” is the proper address when writing to either a mar- 
ried or an unmarried woman who is a stranger. 

According to American usage, the address, “Dear Mrs. 
Jones,” is regarded as more intimate and less formal than 
“My dear Mrs. Jones.” 

The close of a business letter should be “Yours truly,” but 
in personal communications formal notes may close, ‘“Sin- 
cerely,’ and more intimate notes, “Affectionately”; but 
“Faithfully yours,’ is a proper and popular signature for 
usual correspondence. 

In addressing a person who has been given more than one 
academic or honorary degree, these degrees should be arranged 
in the order of their importance, as for example, A.M., Ph.D., 
DD LL:D. 

The typewriter should not be used for social notes, invita- 
tions, acceptances or regrets, notes of congratulation or con- 
dolence, or any communications of a personal and intimate 
character. 

The spirit or content of the correspondence is, however, for 
a pastor, of much more importance than its form. Here one 
must be on his guard to avoid anything which is hasty or 
unkind, which afterward he might regret. Letters of the latter 
kind had better be destroyed than mailed. A wise and 
thoughtful correspondence can add greatly to the wideness 
and helpfulness of pastoral service. 

e. The etiquette of calling should be scrupulously observed 
by a pastor, in whose life visitation forms so large a factor. 
He should not call at unseasonable hours or make calls of 
undue length. In entering a parlor or reception room, he 
should not bring with him an overcoat, hat, or umbrella. 
When a woman enters or leaves a room, he must be sure to 
rise. When seated, one must not tip back on two legs of a 
chair, sit cross-legged or lounge, throw the arms over the 
back of the chair, or toy with books or other small objects. 


36 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


On leaving a room when a number of guests are present, it is 
not necessary to shake hands with anyone except the host 
or hostess. After accepting or declining an invitation to a 
formal dinner, one should not fail to pay a brief call within a 
few days. 

f. A few suggestions might also be made as to table man- 
ners. An invited guest should not be tardy. On the other 
hand, it often causes embarrassment to appear many minutes 
before the appointed hour. The men should not seat them- 
selves until the women are seated, or until the host or hostess 
has given a signal. A person should not sit too far from the 
table, lean upon his elbows, or bend over his plate, but should 
keep as upright an attitude as possible. Vegetables are not 
eaten with a spoon, and, as a rule, nothing is eaten with a 
spoon that can be eaten with a fork. It is impolite to reach 
across another person’s plate in order to obtain something. 
Only the tips of the fingers are to be put into the finger bowl. 
Bread or crackers should not be broken into the soup, and 
bread should not be buttered a slice at a time, but broken into 
smaller pieces and buttered as eaten. At a formal dinner the 
napkin should not be folded or the chairs replaced after rising. 
It is polite, after dinner is over, to tarry for a time in the 
reception room. On leaving, the hostess should be thanked 
for a pleasant evening, but not for the dinner. It is not neces- 
sary to take a formal leave of the other guests. 

g. The pastor must be mindful of his conduct as a guest. 
When enjoying the hospitality of a home, for a long or shorter 
time, he must be careful to cause as little trouble as possible. 
He must not feel obliged to converse with his host or to enter- 
tain the family during every hour of his stay. He must expect 
some periods of rest and retirement. Great care should be 
exercised not to disarrange needlessly a room which one is 
occupying. This same caution should be observed in refer- 
ence to a bathroom, which should be left in as neat and orderly 
a condition as it was found. After enjoying the hospitality of 
a home, one should not fail to write a letter of thankful ap- 
preciation, and during his stay he should gratefully acknowl- 
edge all courtesies. 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 37 


__h. A pastor must be particularly watchful as to his conduct 

in public, whether at entertainments, on the street, or in trav- 
eling. At entertainments, lectures, or concerts, or at church, 
he must not come late, and he must always avoid any annoy- 
ance to those near whom he is seated. On the street he should 
always lift his hat when meeting a lady or when met by a 
friend who is walking with a lady. When a man wishes to 
speak with a lady of his acquaintance whom he meets on the 
street, he should not stop her, but should turn and walk with 
her. He should walk on that side of the pavement where he 
can guard a lady from obstacles. When with two ladies, he 
should not walk between them. One should precede a lady 
in going upstairs, and allow her to precede him when coming 
down. It is not considered good form to eat on the street 
or to smoke. 

When traveling a person should not encumber the aisle of a 
car with bags, and should not appropriate more space than is 
necessary, or than that to which he is entitled. He should 
not converse in loud tones. In an ordinary car, he should not 
open a window without consulting the person seated behind 
him. As far as possible, when on a train, he should avoid 
eating, except in dining cars. He should not dispute with 
employees, but show every possible civility and kindness to 
them and to fellow travelers. A journey affords an excellent 
opportunity for the exhibition both of good manners and of a 
Christian spirit. 


4, SprriruAL GROWTH 


The development of the spiritual life of a pastor is for him 
and his work a matter of supreme importance. It is probably 
true that it is a matter which is too frequently neglected and 
this neglect is the explanation of weakness and failure. 

However, the conditions and means of spiritual develop- 
ment are such open secrets that the subject requires but brief 
discussion. One merely needs encouragement to follow paths 
which are already plain. 


38 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


First of all, one must preserve with determination stated 
periods of private devotion. These may be brief. In the 
perplexing demands of modern life one reads with wonder of 
the saintly preachers who completed their weekly pulpit prep- 
aration on Friday and enjoyed the whole of Saturday as a 
time for spiritual refreshment. While such prolonged periods 
may be regarded as impossible, the present temptation lies in 
making no definite assignment of time, or else of failure to 
guard the few moments allotted, in the crowded program of 
each day. 

In the use of such periods the first place should be given to 
the devotional reading of the Bible. By this is meant the 
employment of a passage of Scripture as the object of careful 
thought, or as an expression of praise or prayer, or as bearing 
a message of immediate personal application to the experi- 
ences of the reader. This reading may be quite distinct from 
the critical or exegetical or literary study of the Bible. The 
same passage may be employed which one is studying for 
pulpit preparation; but most ministers find it better to select 
an entirely different portion of Scripture; some even prefer 
to use a different copy of the Bible in such devotional reading. 

Closely related to such reading is the practice of private 
prayer. Some prefer to begin the devotional period with 
prayer, regarding it as the essential spiritual exercise. It is, 
of course, well to ask for guidance before reading, and such 
reading and prayer should be inseparable. However, George 
Miiller testified that he found prayer difficult and halting 
until he first had received a direct message from God through 
the Scriptures, but that if he read a portion of the Bible before 
engaging in a period of prayer, he found that the Scriptures 
suggested the expressions which he needed in voicing. his 
praise and reminded him of the personal needs for which he 
should make request. 

Such prayer must be specific as well as serious and im- 
portunate. Some pastors keep special lists of persons for 
whom they are making daily intercession; some even have 
made a practice of going to their churches and praying for 
individuals and families as they knelt in successive pews. 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 39 


Possibly few pastors of the present day are enjoying to the 
full the blessed ministry of intercession, and any failure in 
such a ministry retards personal growth in spiritual power. 

Meditation is regarded as a lost art. At least, to commend 
it seems to many a counsel of perfection: Surely it is little 
practiced. To some, indeed, the word expresses no reality; 
by others, it is supposed to indicate mental abstraction or 
inactivity. There are those, however, who testify that the 
unhurried concentration of thought on some great fact of re- 
vealed truth, entirely aside from any purpose of immediate 
use in public address, is an unfailing means of grace. 

Then, too, some who find private meditation difficult or 
fruitless are greatly helped by devotional periods spent in the 
society of other religious workers, when, for a ‘“‘quiet day” or 
in a “retreat,” hours are spent in frankly facing moral fail- 
ures and perils, pastoral problems and difficulties, and great 
verities of the Christian faith. 

Obviously much spiritual strength is to be obtained by the 
habit of reading books of devotion, and in such books the 
literature of the Church is particularly rich. A few of these 
which are most familiar and which properly have been re- 
garded as most popular may be mentioned at random: ‘The 
Imitation of Christ,” by Thomas 4 Kempis; Augustine’s ‘“Con- 
fessions”; ‘““The Practice of the Presence of God,” by Brother 
Lawrence; ‘Holy Living,” by Jeremy Taylor; “The Reformed 
Pastor” and “The Saints’ Everlasting Rest,’ by Richard 
Baxter; ‘“Pilgrim’s Progress” and “Grace Abounding,” by 
John Bunyan; “Thoughts on Religion,” by Pascal; “The Let- 
ters of Rev. Samuel Rutherford” (edited by A. A. Bonar) ; 
“Memoirs” of R. M. McCheyne (A. A. Bonar); “The Still 
Hour,” by Austin Phelps; “The Personal Life of the Clergy,” 
by Arthur W. Robinson; “The Ministry of Intercession” and 
“With Christ in the School of Prayer,” by Andrew Murray. 
Some of these volumes should always be within reach, to be 
used in hours of devotion. 

The supreme end to be sought by these devotional periods 
is a new realization of the presence and glory and power of 


40 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the living Christ, a more complete surrender to his will, 
and a more perfect devotion to his service. In fact, spiritual 
growth is conditioned in no small degree by the spiritual exer- 
cise which is involved in undertaking new work, in presenting 
this work to the Lord in prayer, and in seeking to accomplish 
it by his power. Many a pastor finds that his own impatience 
or despondency is banished by a call of sympathy which he 
may make in a room of suffering or sorrow, and his tempta- 
tions to sin lose their strength as he fixes his energies upon the 
task of bringing some other soul to Christ. 

Last of all, but perhaps of chief importance, should be men- 
tioned the observance of the Lord’s Supper, and public gath- 
erings of Christians, which are true means of grace and occa- 
sions for the deepening and strengthening of spiritual life. 


5. Home Lire 


Most Protestant Churches permit and prefer their pastors to 
marry. Whatever Paul may have meant by saying that a bishop 
must be the “husband of one wife,” he surely could not have 
intended to enjoin celibacy on the clergy. Of course, many 
unmarried men have attained noted success as ministers; yet 
the ideal which the apostle paints is that of one who, as the 
head of a family, sets an example to other parents, and also 
shows his ability to govern a household of Christian believers, 
or, as Paul says, “One that ruleth well his own house, having 
his children in subjection with all gravity; (but if a man 
knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care 
of the church of God?)” 

If this home life of the pastor is to attain its best develop- 
ment and to exercise its most helpful influence, the pastor 
must be provided with a proper parsonage or manse. It need 
not be very large or expensive, but it should equal in com- 
fort and convenience the better homes in the community. By 
making such provision each congregation will be serving its 
own best interests, and will be adding immeasurably to the 
benefits secured from the services of the pastor. Obviously, 
a sufficient salary must be paid to make it possible for life in 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 4] 


the parsonage to be conducted in a manner indicative of re- 
finement, dignity, and culture. Only in such surroundings 
can a pastor accomplish his best work. 

Of far more importance than the manse, however, is the 
mistress of the manse. She, more than any other wife, deter- 
mines the success or failure of her husband. If she is in sym- 
pathy with his work, if she is intelligent and discreet, she can 
increase greatly his influence for good; while if she lacks inter- 
est in the church, or is unwise or censorious or inclined to 
gossip, she may make shipwreck of his work. 

It is now more and more definitely understood, however, 
\/that the wife of a pastor is not an employee of the dine or a 
servant at the command of the congregation. ‘Her first duty 
is to her home, and any task she undertakes in the parish is 
purely voluntary. She may be expected to make the manse 
attractive, to assume the burden of household cares, to protect 
her husband from needless interruptions, to share his sacrifices 
and his joys; but it is not incumbent upon her to head every 
society of women, to visit all parishioners, or to assume the 
position of a leader in social life. She should be free to under- 
, take only such work as she may desire, and to accept or 
~ decline any part in the activities of the church or congregation. 

In largest measure, however, the home life of the pastor 
will depend upon his own habits and conduct, and it will 
surely react upon his character and work. One cannot hope 
to appear as a saint in the pulpit if he is selfish and irritable 
and disagreeable in the home. Selfishness is usually the 
besetting sin which threatens the home life of the minister; 
of his guilt in this particular he is usually unconscious. How- 
ever, his hours may be so crowded with study and engage- 
ments that he may devote absolutely no time to his family, 
and may become a mere boarder in the manse, where he only 
eats and sleeps. 

Selfishness also may appear in slovenly personal habits. 
When about the home he may be careless as to his dress and 
appearance. He may be preoccupied and moody. He may 
require everyone to wait upon him and to consult his comfort 


42 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


and convenience. He may disarrange every room he occupies 
and leave the house in general disorder. A man has no more 
right to expect his wife to hang up his clothing and to put 
his room in order than she has to expect him to care for her 
dresses or to arrange the dinner table. The home is the best 
place to practice courtesy, politeness, and consideration of 
others. | . 

On the other hand, some few pastors fall before the tempta- 
tion of devoting too much time to domestic affairs, and fritter 
away their hours on trifles and details which, in all conscience, 
could be undertaken by other members of the household. 
Home life, however sacred, must not be allowed to interfere 
with the serious tasks which properly belong to the parish 
and the church. 

The home life of the pastor should be characterized by 
cheerfulness. The parsonage should be a place of which glad- 
ness and helpfulness and joyousness are the very atmosphere. 
The life in the parsonage is perforce one of frugality. The 
limited salary usually precludes any temptation to indulge in 
extravagances or display. However, this life should be char- 
acterized by hospitality. This is usually the case, and the 
family of a pastor is frequently favored by the presence of 
guests who bring into the home abiding memories and in- 
fluences which broaden and elevate and inspire. 

The home life of a pastor must be marked by genuine piety. 
It should be such as to make religion seem natural and vital 
and an essential feature of the experiences of every day. 

As a matter of fact, this home life is usually beautiful, 
admirable, and impressive. The children of the manse com- 
monly enjoy benefits of culture and of spiritual stimulus 
found in few other homes. These children are more ob- 
served and criticized than are members of other families. 
However, as a rule, they develop worthy characters and enter 
upon careers of usefulness. The disproportionally large num- 
ber of these children who become eminent in the service of 
society, of the State and of the Church, testifies eloquently 
to the character of those homes in which they have been 
reared. Taken all in all, the children of the manse are a great 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 43 


credit to Christianity and a worthy commentary upon the 
home life of Christian pastors. 


6. COMMUNITY SERVICE 


The pastor should make his influence felt as a vital force 
throughout the whole community in which he lives. This can 
be done in part through the medium of the worship in his 
church, yet his influence should be extended into the lives of 
other individuals and into the social groups which are outside 
the bounds of his parish. Some prefer to express this idea by 
saying that “the whole community constitutes the parish of a 
pastor.” For the sake of clearness, it may be better to dis- 
tinguish the parish from the community, as being composed 
of those persons who properly are regarded as attached to a 
particular church, while the community includes members of 
other churches and great groups unrelated to any Christian 
organization. To all these churches and groups the pastor 
sustains relations, and he must seek to be of service to all. 
The rendering of such service will include the following 
activities: 

a. The pastor must acquaint himself as accurately as pos- 
sible with the religious, moral, economic, and industrial condi- 
tions of the field in which he labors. This can be done in part 
by patient, persistent, personal effort, but more accurate in- 
formation can be secured by occasional social surveys of a 
more scientific and exhaustive character made by the com- 
bined churches and other organizations of the community. 

A pastor soon learns whether his church is surrounded by 
Protestants or by Jews or by Catholics, by a population that 
is American or foreign-born, by professing Christians or by 
masses wholly unrelated to the Church; however, he must be 
familiar with many other facts which will determine the 
nature of his ministry and the definite goals of his endeavor. 
He must acquaint himself with the schools and other educa- 
tional institutions which are near at hand, with the hospitals 
and jails and the homes for orphans and aged, with the places 
and forms of amusement provided for young people, with the 
factories and mills and industrial centers, with the homes 


44 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


of rich and poor. He must know the life of the community 
before he can deal with the problems of the community. 

b. By means of sermons and study classes he can acquaint 
his parishioners with the facts that he has discovered, with 
the religious and social needs of the community, and with 
the Christian ideals he hopes to attain; and he must endeavor 
to secure the sympathy and support and codperation of his 
people. 

The preparation of the pastor for such public instruction, 
and for such guidance and inspiration, belongs to the depart- 
ments of homiletics and of religious education. However, it 
may be proper to state here that in order to serve his com- 
munity, the pastor must seek first of all, by his preaching and 
teaching, to win an ever-increasing number of individuals to 
vital fellowship with Christ and to the membership of the 
Christian Church; further, he must instruct his people faith- 
fully in all the social teachings of Christ, and must place upon 
their consciences the absolute necessity of their obeying Christ 
in every realm of experience. He must show them what the 
Lord requires as to the acquisition and use of wealth, as to the 
family and marriage and divorce, as to the right relation of 
employer and employee, as to the necessity of applying the 
Golden Rule in all social and industrial and commercial rela- 
tions. As a teacher of Christianity he must rebuke and re- 
strain all group selfishness, all class consciousness, all race 
prejudice. He must strive to guide the social thought of the 
community, to arouse the social conscience of the community, 
to improve the social relationships of the community, and to 
infuse a feeling of brotherhood into the social spirit of the 
community. 

c. The personal efforts of the pastor must be directed also 
to bring the gospel of Christ to individuals outside his con- 
eregation and beyond the influence of his church services and 
ministrations. He must be ready to hold meetings in mills 
and factories and industrial centers. This is often done at 
the noon hour, and in such a brief service the church choir is 
of great assistance. In some instances, cases of sickness are 
reported and visits are paid by the pastor, or by some phy- 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 45 


sician or nurse representing the church. Such shop meetings 
establish contacts between the pastor and large groups of in- 
dustrial workers. On occasions sermons may be preached in 
the open air, in parks, and in other crowded places of resort. 
Opportunities must be accepted for preaching the gospel in 
Young Men’s Christian Association halls, in tents, in prisons 
and jails. The pastor must make himself a welcome visitor 
in hospitals and schools; if possible, he must establish friendly 
relations with labor organizations, with patriotic societies and 
fraternal organizations, and he must seek by every such con- 
tact both to win individuals to accept the lordship of Christ 
and also to obey more faithfully the social demands of Christ. 

As far as possible, he must make his church a radiating 
center for various forms of social service. If possible, he 
should provide accommodations for athletics, for clubs, for 
classes, for organizations of various groups, and for entertain- 
ments, and should show himself interested in every issue which 
concerns the life and conscience and welfare of the community. 

d. Evidently such activities indicate responsibilities too 
great to be performed by any one man, and, therefore, the 
pastor must seek to secure the fullest possible cooperation, not 
only of his parishioners, but also of the various churches and 
other organized societies in his community. In the matter 
of evangelistic work and also of social service, many com- 
munities are already being served by church federations, by 
which the forces of individual congregations are united and 
are directed with increased power toward the securing of com- 
mon aims and purposes. A pastor will do well to enter heartily 
upon an evangelistic campaign in which the churches of the 
community are uniting, or to carry on in his own church a 
special work of evangelism at some time agreed upon by all 
the churches of the community. 

So, too, in various forms of social service a Church federa- 
tion or a less definitely organized union of churches can ac- 
complish vastly more than would be possible were these 
churches working without conference or mutual understand- 
ing or combination of effort. By such codperation the whole 


46 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


religious forces of a community can be brought to bear upon 
social problems which are in need of solution, upon social con- 
ditions which need to be improved, upon forms of social 
service which should be rendered by the Church and in the 
name of Christ. 

The pastor will do well to codperate with the work of asso- 
ciated or organized charities.» In some instances it will be 
well to unite a number of churches in establishing and main- 
taining community classes or centers where proper provision 
can be made for the social life and for the moral and spiritual 
betterment of the young people in the community. Then, 
too, the pastor should cooperate with such organizations as 
the Young Men’s Christian Association and the Young 
Women’s Christian Association. The character of these insti- 
tutions in most cases depends upon the attitude toward them 
which is taken by the local pastors. A spirit of kindly 
cooperation can make of these associations agencies of great 
value to the churches and to the entire community. While 
the pastor can do much as an individual, yet his chief aim 
should be to secure the widest possible codperation in all his 
efforts outside his immediate parish but within the limits of 
the field in which he labors. 


7. Civic Dutirs 


The pastor is not only the servant of the Church; he is like- 
wise a citizen of the State. He is wise, therefore, to keep care- 
fully in mind the distinction between these two divine institu- 
tions and to seek to fulfill his obligations to both, without con- 
fusing in his own mind the separate and distinct functions of 
Church and State. There are many things which must be 
done by the State which some churches are now undertaking 
to do. The pastor must, therefore, carefully distinguish be- 
tween his duties as a Christian minister and the duties which 
are his as a citizen. The fact that he is a Christian should 
make him only the more eager to prove himself a good citizen, 
but he must not ask his church to do work which belongs to 
the State, and on the other hand, he must not use his influence 
as a public teacher of religion to support any particular 


THE LIFE OF THE PASTOR 47 


political party; nor must he assume responsibilities which 
properly belong to officers of the Government. 

As a citizen, the pastor should seek to acquaint himself 
with political situations, with the laws of the land, and with 
the needs of the nation and of the world. When possessing 
an adequate knowledge of the laws, he should seek to secure 
their enforcement by properly stating flagrant violations, and 
by enlisting his people in an effort to maintain the sanctity of 
law and the authority of the Government. The pastor must 
show himself a loyal citizen by the interest which he feels in 
the choice of public servants and representatives and rulers, 
by the payment of taxes, and any other obligations which the 
Government may impose. He must seek for the enactment 
of wise and just laws. However, he must be on his guard 
against partisan politics, and against the public discussion of 
political questions, except as they involve moral issues. As a 
private citizen, however, and in a purely personal and un- 
official capacity, he, of course, has a right to align himself 
with whatever group of citizens seems to him to be influential 
in the furtherance of those policies which he believes will 
make for the welfare of the State and the prosperity of the 
nation. 

When any great movement is on foot for securing, by legal 
processes, better social conditions, the pastor has a right here 
to assume a position of leadership. He should be deeply 
interested in every effort which is being put forth to improve 
industrial and economic conditions, to oppose child labor, to 
secure proper hours and conditions of work, to establish pen- 
sions for the aged, recreation grounds for children, fair wages 
and sanitary conditions for life and labor. At public gather- 
ings when great moral issues are at stake and when worthy 
efforts for social betterment are being discussed, the pastor 
does well to accept invitations, if not to address such meet- 
ings, at least to open them with devotional exercises. He 
must be glad of every opportunity to show himself a loyal 
and faithful and devoted citizen. 

He must not forget, also, that his nation sustains definite 
relations to the other nations of the world. He should exert 


48 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


his own knowledge and not assume superiority to those 
affairs. Here again he must be mindful to avoid partisanship 
and prejudice. He must be conscious of the limitations of 
his own knowledge and not assume superiority to those 
with whom he comes in contact. He should, however, seek to 
create a public conscience which will insist that the Christian 
principles which are applied te conditions in his own land and 
between individuals shall be recognized in all international 
relations. 


CHAPTER III 
PARISH DUTIES 


1. PersonaL PLANS AND CHURCH PROGRAMS 


In order to accomplish the difficult work allotted to him, 
the pastor must plan thoughtfully the disposition of his own 
time and must prepare definite programs for the activities of 
his church. He should formulate a personal schedule for the 
hours of each day and adhere to it with fidelity. Circum- 
stances and tastes differ, but usually the hours of the morning 
must be devoted to reading, study, sermonizing, and corre- 
spondence. The afternoon is given to pastoral calls, with some 
allowance for rest and recreation. The evening is occupied 
with meetings, calls, and various engagements. <A _ typical 
plan might be as follows: 

Saturday afternoon and Monday morning may be devoted 
largely to recreation and to domestic duties. Some pastors 
find profit from the meetings of ministers on Monday; others 
prefer to spend the morning as far as possible in the open air. 
The hours of Sunday should be definitely planned; periods of 
rest should be provided between the services, and the mind 
should not be unduly taxed by pulpit preparation. 

Some men are constitutionally opposed to such schedules 
and declare that they can work only when the mood is upon 
them. It is usually best, however, to learn to control our 
moods and to have definite times for the accomplishment of 
specific tasks. 

On the other hand, there are some who observe their sched- 
ules so rigidly as to become selfish, and indifferent to the 
rightful claims of others. There are situations continually 
arising which make it necessary to abandon our plans and to 
allow interruptions. This must never be done in mere weak- 

49 


50 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


ness or because of inclination to undertake less difficult work. 
On the other hand, it should be done graciously and kindly. 
Sometimes more can be accomplished in a few moments sacri- 
ficed from a busy morning than in several hours of allotted 
work. Nevertheless, one must formulate and attempt to carry 
out specific plans for each day, each week, and each year. 

Programs for the church should be determined not only 
for the year, but also, if possible, for a period of two or even 
five years. Some churches attempt to maintain their life and 
to advance their growth by sporadic efforts, by occasional 
and disconnected activities, by ‘‘anniversaries” or similar 
special services. They frequently appeal to the novel and 
spectacular. It is far better to have a broad program, cover- 
ing a long period of time, into which all special events and 
activities may be woven. 

The time to plan a working program for the year is the 
spring or early summer. The Church year commonly ends 
in April; but this is the time when the pastor should begin to 
formulate plans for the coming year. In order to determine 
such a program, he must consult with church officers, Sunday- 
school workers, and other leaders in his parish. He must 
study the financial reports and other statistics of the year 
which has just closed. He must then determine the type of 
work which is most needed or which may bring the most 
benefit to his people. Many kinds of endeavor may be sug- 
gested. It is usually well to decide upon one major and sev- 
eral minor activities. The main purpose selected for the year 
may be an increase in church membership, the introduction 
of a better financial system, the perfecting of the agencies of 
religious education, the enlargement of benevolent and mis- 
sionary gifts, the organization of the men of the congrega- 
tion, the consideration of social or civic improvements in the 
community, or the building of a parish house or new church. 
It is also helpful to agree upon certain goals which the church 
will seek to attain in the coming year. These may be de- 
termined by comparison with the figures of a number of past 
years, and by a careful survey of the parish. 

When such a special object or definite goal has been selected, 


PARISH DUTIES 51 


it is well to divide the year into three general periods. The 
fall should be a time for organization, the winter for instruc- 
tion, the spring for united action. 

Even for the summer, certain activities should be planned, 
such as a Daily Vacation Bible School; a boys’ or girls’ 
summer camp, with recreational and religious features; a 
retreat for the spiritual development of the officers and other 
workers of the church, and for more definite formulation of 
plans for enlarged activities; or a deputation to summer con- 
ferences for the training of Sunday-school teachers and lead- 
ers of the various church organizations. However, it is in 
the fall that the corporate life of the church begins to func- 
tion with new power, and it is then that the program for the 
year should be begun. 

By way of example, it may be well to outline a program, 
subject to change in different years and to meet varying con- 
ditions. September, October, and November may be occupied 
in rallying the forces of the church, in order to enlist sympathy, 
arouse interest and assure cooperation. The determined task 
can be accomplished only when heartily accepted by the 
whole church. To this end, much time must be devoted during 
the early weeks of the autumn. The church societies must 
be carefully reorganized, all weak places strengthened, and 
all vacancies filled, particularly in the staff of officers and 
responsible leaders. An effort must be made to supervise the 
rolls of the church and to correct the addresses of members. 
Above all, the pastor must make this a season of special 
inspiration, arousing courage, zeal, and hope. This is the 
time when the Sunday school must receive special attention. 
Its Rally Day must be observed, and the spirit of this day 
should be carried into all the activities of the school. 

This is also a season for conducting a “social visitation” 
of the entire parish. This should be done by a committee of 
church members, judiciously selected and instructed by the 
pastor. They should go out two by two, and should complete 
an entire visitation of the parish within a single week. They 
should make it clear that they have no purpose other than 
that of furthering acquaintanceship among the members of 


52 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the church, of showing a friendly interest, and of indicating 
something of the plans which have been formulated for the 
year. Preparation for such visitation should be made deliber- 
ately. The committee should be divided into groups under 
responsible heads, and personal reports should be made 
to the pastor. Such a visitation always results in an increased 
attendance upon the services of the church and in new loyalty 
and devotion to its work. 

The second season of the year, from December to Feb- 
ruary, should be devoted especially to education. It is a 
time for sermons describing the benevolent and missionary 
Boards and Agencies of the Church, and for intensive study 
of missionary and social problems; special mission-study 
classes should be conducted, and, if possible, church institutes 
should be arranged. The plans for the latter often include 
a gathering for supper on some evening of the week, the 
supper followed by an hour of instruction and then by a 
period of devotion. This may be the time for the “every- 
member canvass” of the church, made with a view to securing 
subscriptions for church support and for the missionary and 
other agencies. Such an intensive educational program has 
many difficulties, but it is certain to result in a more enthusi- 
astic and intelligent support of all the church activities. 

The third season of the year may be devoted to special 
evangelistic effort. The plans for this season may include 
the preparation of a special list of the names of such persons 
as rightfully may be expected to be brought into the mem- 
bership of the Church. This may include many members of 
the Sunday school, and also church attendants who never 
have made a public profession of faith; it should also include 
those in the community who are only occasionally present at 
the church services. It is well also to select a committee of 
personal workers who can aid the pastor and serve under his 
direction. Personal letters also may be sent by the pastor to 
all the persons on such a special list, and then, at his request, 
visits made with the definite purpose of giving aid or guid- 
ance to those who are considering the possibility of a public 
profession of faith. Special services should be planned under 


PARISH DUTIES 53 


the leadership of the pastor, assisted by such visiting speakers 
as may seem best. Such a season of special effort, in which the 
whole church is united in prayer and in work, is certain to 
result in a great ingathering, which is usually made at the 
communion nearest to Easter Sunday. 

In making such plans for a Church year, or for a period of 
years, a pastor must show prudence, patience, and persever- 
ance. He must not allow the church to plan for too much. 
The goals must not be unreasonably high, the schemes must 
not be too elaborate, the burdens assumed must not be too 
great. Then, too, he must be patient; at times an accepted 
program must be set aside for an emergency, and again he 
may need to postpone definite action until the interest of the 
church has been more fully aroused. However, above all else, 
perseverance is needed. ‘There will be times of depression 
and discouragement, but by continually keeping the goal in 
view, and by bringing all activities into harmony with the 
determined program, progress is certain and ultimate success 
is assured. 


2. PasToRAL CALLS 


The day of pastoral visitation has not passed. Some min- 
isters regard this form of service as a vanishing tradition, and 
some as an intolerable task, but others find it a priceless 
privilege. For a man of social instincts and spiritual vision, 
the hearty welcome offered him in hundreds of homes, not 
merely because of his personal merit, but as the representative 
of a great Church and as a messenger of Christ, is one of the 
most thrilling and inspiring experiences of his life. 

a. However regarded, pastoral calling is absolutely neces- 
sary. It is true that the modern multiplication of church 
organizations and meetings increases the contacts between 
pastor and people and makes formal calls upon certain per- 
sons and families unnecessary; but in any church, the circle 
of these active workers is limited, and there are many parish- 
ioners who never would meet the pastor personally unless he 
called in their homes. 

It is also true that under present conditions of life, when 


54 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


many women of the congregation live in boarding houses and 
furnished rooms and have no place to receive callers, proper 
provision must be made for the pastor to receive visitors in 
the church parlors or in his own home. 

It is further true that brief calls may be made upon persons 
in their places of business and employment, if one is careful 
not to intrude or to interrupt necessary tasks. Such calls 
require tact and wisdom, but often prove very effective. 

However, when all allowances have been made for the 
changed conditions of modern life, pastoral visitation is now 
as truly a part of a pastor’s work as it ever has been. A few 
preachers who seldom visit their people hold large audiences, 
and a few who annually make thousands of calls address 
small congregations, but these cases are exceptional, and as 
a rule pastoral visiting is essential to success, and a large 
percentage of the failures in the modern ministry are attrib- 
utable to its neglect. 

b. In order that this work may be conducted profitably, 
the first requirement is that every individual visit must be 
made with some definite purpose. Perfunctory calling, or 
visits made simply to increase the recorded number of calls, 
are worse than useless. Among the ends to be accomplished 
are those of bringing comfort to the sick and sorrowing, of 
securing recruits for various departments of church work, of 
inquiring for absentees from the church services, of welcom- 
ing recent arrivals in the community, or of establishing a 
more personal relation or cultivating a closer friendship with 
members of the congregation. 

This variety of aims in itself answers the pertinent question 
as to the nature of a pastoral call. Must it always include 
religious conversation, the reading of Scripture, and prayer? 
These are always desirable features of such a visit, and in the 
case of the sick and aged and bereaved, they are naturally 
expected; but there are other cases where a call of merely 
social or business character accomplishes the definite end in 
view. No rule can be made. At the present day the danger 
lies in giving too little spiritual help and guidance when 
making pastoral visits, but the circumstances of each case 


PARISH DUTIES 59 


must determine the exact nature of the call. It may be added 
that all pastoral visits should be brief; in cities and towns, 
fifteen minutes is a fair average. When the person upon 
whom the pastor has tried to call is not found at home, a 
little note, written the same evening, expressing regret and 
stating the purpose of the call, is deeply appreciated and 
makes an abiding impression. 

In the second place, if pastoral calling is to be profitable 
it must be systematic. A definite time must be apportioned 
to it, and faithfully employed, on certain afternoons and 
evenings of every week. It is customary for pastors to 
attempt to visit all their parishioners once every year, 
although circumstances will determine the frequency of such 
periodic visitation. Necessity will arise for many other visits, 
sickness or loss or other conditions demanding the 
presence and sympathy of the pastor. A special list must be 
prepared weekly of these extra and necessary visits, and 
these must be made in connection with those for which the 
pastor has already planned. A register of calls should be 
kept. This register usually should be in the form of a card 
catalogue, and on each card notes should be made of all 
important items learned on any visit. This catalogue must be 
kept for the exclusive use of the pastor. It is well to arrange 
the cards in such a “calling register” according to groups, 
representing different sections into which the parish may be 
divided, so that when the pastor is called to one particular 
part of the town or city, he can, without loss of time, make 
a number of visits in the same neighborhood. It is astonish- 
ing to learn how many visits may be made by one who is 
systematic and faithful. One Baltimore pastor makes 3,000 
visits every year; one in Philadelphia recorded 25,397 visits 
in the forty-five years of his service in a single church; 
another in the same city recorded, in a single year, 3,605 
calls paid, and 1,849 calls received, while he sent by mail to 
his parishioners 10,347 communications. 

The pastor, when calling, must be on his guard against 
talking too much about himself, his family, or even his 
church, but he should seek to learn the life, the conditions, 


56 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


and the experiences of his parishioners that he may share their 
joys and their sorrows and may minister to their needs. 

Pastoral calling requires sympathy, tact, and spiritual in- 
sight; it should be undertaken in a prayerful attitude of mind; 
divine guidance should be sought continually and each visit 
should be regarded as an STP of bringing definite help 
to some soul. 

c. This task obviously involves self-sacrifice, but the re- 
sults obtained are worth all that it costs. First of all, it 
brings a rich spiritual experience into the life of the pastor. 
The lessons he learns in rooms of sickness and in homes of 
bereavement are of priceless value. The courage and heroism 
which he discovers in obscure lives are frequently revelations 
which greatly strengthen his own faith. Most pastors feel 
that they gain more than they give by a round of afternoon 
calls. 

Then, too, the experience results in giving more directness 
to pulpit messages, and in imparting more definiteness and 
sympathy to pulpit prayers. Another familiar result is that 
of increased church attendance. Of this result there is not 
the slightest doubt, and to this fact all faithful pastors can 
testify. 

Then again the pastor wins the confidence and affection 
of his people, so that, as a result, they listen more eagerly to 
his public utterances and come to him more freely for private 
advice and spiritual guidance. Furthermore, an opportunity 
is given for imparting religious truth under circumstances 
which make such instruction an invaluable supplement to the 
messages of the pulpit. Finally, there is the opportunity of 
giving help to those who are in spiritual need and of securing 
definite decisions for Christian life and service. 

It would be impossible to overestimate the value of this 
important phase of pastoral work. 


3. THe CARE OF THE PooR 


One of the most striking features in the history of the 
Christian Church has been its systematic and ceaseless pro- 
vision for the poor and needy. This has been in accordance 


PARISH DUTIES 57 


with the teachings of Christ, with the action of the first 
converts in Jerusalem, with the story of the appointment of 
the seven overseers of the poor, Acts 6: 1-6, and with the 
instructions of Paul, I Tim., ch. 5. 

In view of these teachings of Scripture, of the continual 
practice of the Church, and also of modern conditions and 
institutions, certain principles in reference to the duty of the 
pastor in caring for the needy should be kept in mind. 

a. He must place upon the church the necessity of caring 
for its own poor. While every congregation, according to its 
ability, should assist in the relief of distress, due to poverty 
or calamity, in the community, in the country, or in distant 
lands, still its first duty is to care for the needy among its 
own members. In no case showd it allow them to become 
public burdens. 

b. While special church officers are usually appointed to 
the work of caring for the poor, yet the supervision of the 
task and the ultimate responsibility for its performance de- 
volve upon the pastor. At the meetings of the “deacons,” or 
of the persons appointed to administer the “poor fund,” the 
pastor presides, as he does at the meetings of the “session,” 
or similar church board, to which the deacons report and 
under whose direction they work. 

Many churches employ deaconesses, and it is obvious that 
in dealing with cases of poverty, women who are trained for 
the task and are devoting their whole time to the work can 
be more efficient than men, whose days are occupied by busi- 
ness and personal duties. 

Some churches are also able to employ visiting nurses whose 
ministrations bring incalculable relief to the sick and the 
suffering. 

Nevertheless, the pastor should request all these various 
helpers to report to him and to acquaint him with all neces- 
sary details of their work. 

c. The pastor should not personally dispense charity to 
the poor. If he does so, he will find himself too frequently 
imposed upon, and will expose himself to the charge of par- 
tiality and favoritism. In a case where his heart is especially 


58 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


touched by an appeal and he feels able to offer a gift, he 
should nevertheless act through the appointed officers, with- 
out allowing the beneficiary to know the special source of the 
relief. He should also make provision whereby immediate 
help can be secured in cases of sudden emergency which are 
brought to his attention. 

d. The pastor must instruct his parishioners, and par- 
ticularly his church workers, in the principles relating to 
the relief of the poor. The whole matter requires great deli- 
cacy and discrimination. On the one hand, some who are 
in need are timid and sensitive and shrink from receiving 
help; they need to be persuaded that it is right for them 
to accept aid, or even a duty, in case their families are suffer- 
ing distress. On the other hand, some who apply for help 
are shiftless and unworthy and may be made mendicants and 
paupers by unwise and indiscriminate charity. Then, too, it 
is well to insist upon the wise principle of Scripture that 
persons in need should in every possible case be given the 
help of relatives and kinsmen and not be made dependent 
upon the contributions of the church. Furthermore, sys- 
tematic effort should be made to secure work for the 
unemployed. 

e. The pastor must seek to codrdinate the charitable work 
of his church with the benevolent and philanthropic institu- 
tions of the community. In practically every parish there are 
asylums, almshouses, orphanages, and homes, some supported 
by the state, others supported by private benevolence. 

Then, too, there are agencies designed to assist the poor in 
their own homes, and to give temporary relief in cases of 
distress. Again some of these agencies represent the state, 
and some are private organizations. Unless great care is 
exercised there will be overlapping of effort, abuses, con- 
fusion. The pastor should plan for a wise codperation be- 
tween his church and the organized charities or similar soci- 
eties of the community, and every federation of churches 
should be brought into effective and systematic relations with 
federations of charities. 

f. The pastor must visit faithfully the poor of his parish 


PARISH DUTIES 59 


and the charitable institutions of his community. To the 
former, he can give counsel and encouragement which may 
make for such independence and industry and courage that 
financial aid may no longer be needed. To the latter, he can 
bring cheer and minister comfort; he can help to secure for 
state institutions honesty of administration and an atmos- 
phere of Christian sympathy, and can establish definite con- 
tacts between these institutions and the church. 

g. The pastor can thus by his own personal efforts, and 
by the spirit he infuses into his fellow workers, bring it to 
pass that the relief of the poor will be not merely mechanical 
and institutional, but personal, sympathetic, and_ truly 
Christian. 


4, New MEMBERS 


To fill the vacancies caused by death, removal, and defec- 
tion, as well as to enlarge the scope of its influence, the church 
continually must be receiving new members into its com- 
munion. When such are admitted they are in need of special 
pastoral care. 

a. When candidates for membership, coming either on pro- 
fession of faith in Christ or by letter from other churches, 
appear before the church session or governing body and are 
admitted by formal vote, they at once should be introduced 
personally to each member of the session and cordially 
welcomed. 

b. Many churches provide special forms of public recep- 
tion. For instance, on a Sunday morning, just before the 
observance of the Lord’s Supper, those who have been ad- 
mitted to membership by vote of the session or other official 
board, are addressed by the pastor in the name of the con- 
gregation and formally welcomed into the fellowship of the 
church. 

c. Sittings or pews for the new members and their families 
should at once be provided, and the ushers and other members 
of the congregation should be introduced to the newcomers 
and should be requested to make them acquainted in the 
congregation as widely as possible. 


60 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


d. The pastor without delay should call at the home, or 
very briefly at the place of employment, and learn as much 
as possible about the personal interests or the family life or the 
previous church activities of each new member. He should 
then explain as far as possible the present situation or plans 
of the church, and endeavor to secure the active participation 
of the new communicants in the work of some department of 
the church or Sunday school. 

e. Some explanation should be made of the budget and the 
system of church finance, and permission secured to allow the 
church treasurer to provide subscription blanks and envelopes 
for church support and for the benevolent and missionary 
causes. 

f. Members of the church should be requested to call upon 
the newcomers, not in a perfunctory manner, but in a real 
spirit of friendship and Christian fellowship; and the name 
of each new member should be given to some one in the 
congregation who lives in the vicinity, in order that helpful 
social relations may be established with as large a number of 
persons as possible. 

g. In case the new members are recent converts, the pastor 
should suggest helpful books containing at least elementary 
religious instruction. If possible he should bring the young 
Christians into classes for special study, and should endeavor 
in every way to surround them with stimulating spiritual 
influences, and to develop in them the capacity and desire 
for Christian service. 


5, ABSENTEE MEMBERS 


It is distressing to learn how many persons are lost to 
membership in the church not merely through death or open 
defection, but through indifference and neglect. The number 
often amounts to a startling fraction of the entire enrollment. 

These lapsed members are of two classes. First, there are 
those who are still residing within the parish, but who have 
drifted away and have ceased to attend the services of the 
church. These must be special objects of pastoral care; either 
they must be won back into the active life of the church, or 


PARISH DUTIES 61 


else they must become the objects of discipline in the form of 
admonition, warning, rebuke, or suspension. 

The other class is much larger, and forms a more difficult 
and perplexing problem. It consists of those persons who 
have moved away from the parish and have failed to identify 
themselves with churches in the vicinity of their new homes. 
Because of the rapid shifting of populations and the migratory 
habits of American families, this class of absentee members is 
increasing to alarming proportions. The obvious danger that 
these persons may become lost to the Christian Church places 
upon the pastor certain responsibilities which too often are 
unrecognized or forgotten. 

a. He must frequently place before his people this problem 
of absentee members, and earnestly make of his congregation 
the following requests: 

(1) In case any member changes his residence within the 
parish, he shall at once report his new address to the pastor 
or to some other officer of the church. 

(2) In case a member removes to another community, he 
shall send to the pastor, at his earliest opportunity, the loca- 
tion of his new home. 

(3) A member moving to a place where there is a church 
of the same denomination shall at once transfer to it his 
membership. 

(4) In case there is no church of his own denomination, he 
shall endeavor to find at least a temporary church home, and 
to take some active part in Christian service. 

b. In case the pastor learns that a member is about to 
move from his parish, he should at once call to express his 
regret. He should, however, offer to give a letter of intro- 
duction to some pastor or church in the place to which the 
member is removing and he should urge the member to apply 
at an early date for a letter of dismission to the church he 
may choose. 

The pastor should also address a letter to some representa- 
tive of his denomination residing in the community to which 
the member of his church is removing, urging that a call be 
made and a friendly welcome extended, so that at the earliest 


62 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


possible date membership may be transferred to a church in 
the new place of residence. 

c. At least once every year the pastor should review his 
church roll, note the absentee members, and write to them, in 
order to ascertain their relation to the church, to urge them 
to allow him to send letters of dismission, or to induce them 
to present letters which previdusly may have been granted. 
According to the law of the Presbyterian Church, for 
example: 


“If the communicant shall fail to ask for a regular certificate of 
dismission, within two years, without giving sufficient reason, after 
correspondence by the session, his name may be placed on the roll of 
suspended members, with the date of the action, until he shall satisfy 
the session of the propriety of his restoration. The same action may 
be taken, without correspondence, in the case of those absent for three 
years, whose residence is unknown.” 


The pastor should thus make every effort to bring these 
absentee members into renewed fellowship with the church; 
but in case their addresses are lost, after a faithful effort has 
been made to discover them, the names should be placed on 
the “suspended list” and not allowed to encumber the roll of 
active members. 


6. CHurcH DISCIPLINE 


The most distressing duty which devolves upon a pastor is 
that of administering discipline to the members of his flock. 
Sometimes the process is merely formal, as in the case of 
removing from the church rolls the names of members who 
have disappeared. At other times, the facts involved are 
very serious and concern the good name and prosperity of 
the church. When cases arise calling for official action, the 
pastor must remember that “the ends of discipline are the 
maintenance of the truth, the vindication of the authority 
and honor of Christ, the removal of offences, the promotion 
of the purity and edification of the Church, and the spiritual 
good of offenders.” ‘To realize that in administering discipline 
he is rendering a necessary service to Christ and the Church, 
gives the pastor courage; and to recall the fact that he is 


PARISH DUTIES 63 


seeking “the spiritual good” of an offender, inclines him to 
proceed with caution, with sympathy, and with Christian love. 

The pastor must never play the part of a persecutor, 
or even of a prosecutor. No action must appear to be per- 
sonal, but always must be in the name of the church, and 
must be taken by the session, or other church board, of which 
the pastor is merely one of the members. 

Before any action is begun, or even seriously considered, 
the pastor must first visit the member in question or see that 
such a visitation is made by representatives of the church, 
and he must endeavor to have the offense removed or the 
matter righted without resort to ecclesiastical process. 

Even though the offense is serious, and the pastor is con- 
vinced that the party accused is guilty, he should not allow 
the case to come to trial unless he is reasonably certain that 
guilt can be proved; otherwise the trial may result in more 
harm than good. 

If the offender is impenitent and defiant, and if there is 
sufficient evidence to assure conviction, the pastor must be 
alert, none the less, to inform himself as to all the facts 
in the case and as to the exact provisions and requirements 
of the Church law, and he must see that the church court 
proceeds in a dignified and orderly manner. 

In case of conviction, an offender may be given an admoni- 
tion or a rebuke; but these should be administered in such an 
evident spirit of kindness and justice as to cause no offense, 
but to result in repentance and reformation. Even when a 
person is suspended from church privileges, or possibly ex- 
communicated, the pastor should not cease to work and to 
hope for the reformation and spiritual welfare of the offender, 
and for his ultimate restoration to the fellowship and service 
of the church. 

Where flagrant offenses exist, the pastor must not allow the 
cause of Christ to suffer because of his weakness and inaction, 
but must fearlessly face his solemn responsibilities. However, 
whether the fault be one of doctrine or of practice, he should 
seek to accomplish the blessed ministry described by James: 
“Brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one 


64 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


convert him; let him know, that he who converteth a sinner 
from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and 
shall cover a multitude of sins.” 


7. PARISH AND PASTORAL RECORDS 


The importance of keeping careful records of the work of 
the parish as well as of the-activities of the pastor must be 
evident to all. The practice of providing parish registers 
probably dates back to the time of Henry VIII, who required 
each church to keep a register of baptisms. Queen Elizabeth 
required that the registers should also include marriages, and 
burials as well. The practice is now almost universal. How- 
ever, the records of the church meetings, of the actions of 
the trustees, and the lists of members, are equally important, 
and their care should not be neglected. In most instances the 
proper keeping of these important records devolves upon the 
pastor or must be done under his supervision. If he is care- 
less, the whole matter will probably be neglected. 

Every church, then, should have record books, made of 
durable paper and substantially bound. It should also have 
card catalogues for current parish lists. The following items 
are usually necessary for the proper keeping of church 
records: 

a. A book should be provided for the communicants’ roll. 
This should be so made as to give space for noting the 
dates of receptions into membership and the dates of with- 
drawals, of deaths, and of such changes of names as may be 
made by marriage. 

b. Another book should be provided as a register in which 
to enter all baptisms, marriages, and funerals taking place 
within the parish. To register the baptisms, space should 
be afforded for the full baptismal name, the names of par- 
ents, the residence, the date and place of birth, the date and 
place of baptism, and the name of the officiating clergyman. 

For records of marriage, space should be provided to record 
the full name, the age, and the address of the bridegroom, and 
also of the bride, the date and place of the marriage, the 
intended residence, and the name of the officiating minister. 


PARISH DUTIES 65 


To record funerals, a place in the records should be pro- 
vided for the full name of the deceased, the late residence, 
the date and place of death, the date and place of the funeral 
service and of the burial, and the name of the officiating 
clergyman. 

c. Books should also be provided in which to record the 
meetings of the congregation, and also the meetings of the 
session and of the trustees, or other boards of the church. 

d. A card catalogue should also be provided to enroll all 
the communicant members and also all the adherents of the 
church. Different-colored cards may distinguish the names 
of members from those of persons who are only attendants or 
who are in any special way related to the church. These 
cards should contain, as far as possible, the full names of all 
the constituents, together with those of their children. It 
should also register the addresses and the part, if any, which 
each person is taking in the work of the church or the 
Sunday school. 

In addition to such parish records, however, it is the duty 
of the pastor to keep records of his own, which will be his 
personal property and which may be taken with him in case 
he is dismissed to serve some other church. These records 
may be kept for the most part in one book. This should con- 
tain an accurate record of all baptisms, marriages, and funerals 
which he has conducted. It should also contain the names 
of all persons he has received into the membership of the 
Church. It should further record all sermons he has preached 
and all addresses he has delivered. 

The pastor should have a “parish register,” either in the 
form of a small book or of a card catalogue, in which register 
he can place the names of all parishioners, that he may be 
able to record his pastoral calls and to make notes for his 
own personal information. 

A pastor may also wish to keep a list of persons whom he 
is seeking to bring into communicant membership of the 
Church, and for whom he is making special prayer and effort. 

Some pastors also find great help from an “anniversary 
catalogue” which consists of a number of small cards on which 


66 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


are recorded important events in the lives of his parishioners, 
so that when he desires he can send some word of congratu- 
lation or of comfort on the anniversaries of these events. 
Pastors also may do well to keep on file documents and 
programs relating to special occasions which may be of value 
in connection with the history of the church. Care in all 
these matters of record will make the work of the pastor far 
easier and the influence of the church more permanent. 


CHAPTER IV 
THE CURE OF SOULS 


The supreme task of the pastor is that of the spiritual over- 
sight of the members of his flock, the care or “cure” of souls. 
This task cannot be accomplished by dealing with them in 
the mass, but only by individual and personal treatment. 

This is an art which requires genius; it is a science which 
demands study. Facility in the art is increased by practice; 
instruction in the science should be provided, if possible, in 
the classrooms of theological seminaries and supplemented by 
reading and observation. The method of classroom instruc- 
tion should be that of a spiritual clinic, where students are 
taught how to deal with special cases, much in the manner 
in which medical students are taught the treatment of specific 
diseases. As to supplemental reading, books may be secured 
which deal with “winning men for Christ,’ and with the 
spiritual nurture of souls. It is evident that for the successful 
prosecution of this difficult task the pastor further needs 
familiarity with the teachings and the example of Christ, a 
knowledge of human nature, and some acquaintance with the 
principles of modern psychology; above all, he must possess a 
sympathetic heart and must depend SO ete upon the 
guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

No two cases of spiritual need are identical; no exact rules 
for their treatment can be given; it may be helpful, however, 
to specify here the more common classes and to make some 
practical suggestions in connection with each. 


1. Tuer IRRELIGIOUS AND THE INDIFFERENT 


In every parish, almost in every home, persons are to be 
found who have no interest whatsoever in religion and who 
67 


68 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


seldom attend the services of the church, yet for whom the 
pastor feels a real responsibility. He should keep an 
accurate list of such persons, making them the subjects of 
prayer and objects of definite effort. He must enlist, in con- 
fidence, the codperation of parents or other relatives or 
friends, and acquaint himself with the life, the habits, and 
the special interests of each” person whom he is seeking to 
influence for Christ. He must seek to establish friendly rela- 
tions and social contacts before attempting any specifically 
religious conversation. 

He must be alert to accept those opportunities for such a 
conversation which may be afforded by periods of special 
religious services or by experiences of unusual sorrow or joy 
through which the person in mind is passing. At the time of 
expressing sympathy the very occasion may be found for 
which the pastor has been waiting. 

He must be cautious not to offend, not to assume an un- 
natural air or tone of voice, not to claim any superior sanc- 
tity, but “to win at the start,’ to reveal a true and deep 
interest and concern, and to convey the impression that Chris- 
tian experience is as natural and joyous as it is vital. 

He must try to find out where the person stands in relation 
to Christ or the Church, how much is believed or has been 
expressed, what obstacles may be in the way, and what may 
be occasioning indifference or unbelief. 

He must remember that in every soul there is a “sense of 
lack,” an undefined yearning, a desire for peace and rest, 
which can be supplied only by faith in Christ. He must 
attempt to secure an acknowledgment of such dissatisfaction, 
of such unrest as comes from a “divided self,’ and must show, 
if possible, that satisfaction and peace come from complete 
surrender to the will of Christ. If possible, he must touch 
the conscience, and awaken a sense of how serious it is to live 
without Christ, without his pardon and his needed power, and 
without allegiance to his cause. 

The supreme aim must be to secure the acceptance of 
Christ as Lord and Master, and to awaken a real desire to 
obey and to follow him. 


THE CURE OF SOULS 69 


In such conversations the pastor must avoid religious con- 
troversy and argument. He must not be led aside to discuss 
abstruse problems in relation to the Bible or to divine mys- 
teries, but must try to center the thought upon the matter of 
a personal relation to Christ. 

The pastor must show great patience in waiting for an 
opportunity for such a conversation, promptness in accepting 
the opportunity when it comes, and wisdom in his conduct 
and in his words. He may offer the use of helpful religious 
books. He may be able to secure the promise that the Bible 
will be read, and that God will be asked for light and guid- 
ance. If the way can be opened, the conversation should be 
closed with a brief prayer. 

In preparation for the treatment of these cases of religious 
indifference, the pastor will find an inexhaustible supply of 
help as he studies the narrative of the conversation between 
Jesus and the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well. 


2. PROFESSED SKEPTICS - 


In every parish there are those who are not ignorant of 
religion or indifferent to its claims, but who declare themselves 
to be unable to accept its teachings and to believe its truths. 
There are two classes of these persons. First, there are the 
flippant triflers who are proud of their imagined ability to 
oppose Christianity, to show that its doctrines are irrational 
and its followers insincere. Their boasted skepticism is what 
Vinet calls “superficial and secondhand rationalism which 
seeks to blunt the edge of that evangelical truth by which it 
is wounded.” Too often it is merely a cloak for sin and 
a salve to conscience. Those who scoff at all religion are 
usually those who are ready to disregard all morality. 

Upon such persons the pastor must not waste much time. 
Occasionally he can expose their duplicity and their shame 
and can show them that, instead of being intellectual giants, 
they are ordinary sinners. If possible, their consciences may 
be stung and they may be startled by the messages of such 
texts as I Cor. 1: 18; II Cor. 4: 3, 4; Mark 16: 16. 

On the other hand, there is in every community a large 


70 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


class of clean-living, sad-hearted men and women who do 
not accept the Christian faith, and who believe that its 
essential doctrines are contradictory to reason and to the 
established conclusions of science. They are not only doubt- 
ers who have suspended judgment while awaiting evidence, 
but, like Thomas of old, they are skeptics who have suspended 
judgment in the face of evidence. There really is evidence 
enough, but these persons demand evidence or proof of some 
peculiar kind in accordance with their own conceptions and 
choices. 

Towards such persons the pastor must be tolerant and 
sympathetic, even if, at times, their attitude is somewhat 
irritating. He must try to find with them some common 
ground of belief, as for instance, belief “in God, in freedom, 
and in immortality.” From such a starting point he can often 
lead them on to specific faith in Christ. He must make them 
see that faith is not a mere result of the fallible processes of 
human intellect; that it concerns the will, and has in it a 
moral element as well. He should show that there must be 
a “will to believe,’ and a determination to do the will of 
God. There must be a desire to receive the gracious pardon 
“ of God, to give up all that is consciously wrong, and to accept 
/ the strength for holy living which Christ promises to give. 

Such a skeptic must be urged. to live up to the light he has; 
this will often lead to a confession of weakness and sin and 
of the need of divine help. He must be urged to seek more 
light and to take the next step which conscience demands; this 
often results in finding the truth concerning Christ and in 
openly acknowledging him as Saviour and Lord. In dealing 
with this latter class the pastor will find much help from 
studying the stories of Thomas, John 20: 19-29, and of the 
“man born blind,” John, ch. 9. 


3. INQUIRERS 


Every pastor will be cheered by finding in his congregation 
persons who are sincerely seeking to learn the truth concern- 
ing the Christian life. He may have been mistaken in pre- 
viously regarding them as indifferent to religion or even as 


THE CURE OF SOULS a 


skeptics, when all the while they were secretly yearning to 
know the way of salvation. The pastor will be surprised to 
find persons coming from Christian homes and from Sunday 
schools who are yet quite ignorant of what it is to be a 
Christian, and who are in need of simple instruction and of 
sympathetic guidance. 

The pastor must make all such persons feel at ease in 
speaking with him; he must say nothing to make them 
ashamed of their ignorance or to embarrass them as they state 
their needs. Some will come with perplexing problems relat- 
ing to the mysteries of Christian faith; but the pastor must 
see, first of all, that they understand the truth concerning the 
person and work of Christ and their need of assuming a right 
relation to him. 

They must be shown Christ as the Saviour from sin, 
through faith in whom they may receive pardon and cleansing 
and peace. They must be made to see Christ as the risen, 
living Saviour, who is able and ready to give deliverance from 
the power of sin. They must be led to accept Christ as their 
Master and Lord, to whom they are ready to yield their lives 
in complete abandonment. They must be persuaded to con- 
fess openly their faith in him by publicly uniting with the 
Church and undertaking some definite part in its work. 

The pastor must be ready to remove from the mind of an 
inquirer any mistaken impression of what it is to be a Chris- 
tian, and to answer any difficulties which may be proposed. 
Among the most common of these difficulties are the follow- 
ing, and they may be answered in large measure by explaining 
the meaning of the texts which are added to each of these 
familiar objections: 

a. “I am too great a sinner.” John 3:16, 36; Rom. 3:23-26. 

b. “I must first become better.” Matt. 9:12, 13. 

c. “I must learn more about Christianity.” John 7:17. 

d. “I shall not be able to hold out.” Jude 24; Heb. 7:25; 
I Cor. 10:13. 

e. “I shall have to sacrifice too much.” Matt. 11:28-30; 
19: 29. 

f. “I fear ridicule.” Matt. 5:11, 12. 


72 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


g. “I have waited too long.” IIL Peter 3:9. 

Others will object that they have too little feeling or too 
little faith; some will express a fear that they are not among 
“the elect.” These and similar objections the faithful pastor 
should remove, and should lead the inquirer immediately to 
surrender to the will of Christ. It is always well to pray with 
the inquirer, asking that God will give more light upon the 
way and will inspire the courage necessary to obey the con- 
viction of privilege and duty in relation to Christ. 


4. New ConveERTS 


Those who have recently confessed their faith in Christ 
and have newly assumed the responsibilities of membership in 
the Christian Church are in special need of pastoral guid- 
ance and care. This guidance should be planned somewhat 
as follows: 

a. A young convert should be given high ideals of Christian 
life and character. He should be shown that a public pro- 
fession of faith in Christ is not the end, but the beginning, of 
Christian experience. He should be made to understand that 
following Christ involves a daily and continual conflict in 
which victory is certain; and that it is also a life of service, 
in which widening usefulness is always possible. 

b. The young convert should be given specific and sys- 
tematic instruction in Christian doctrine. This may be pro- 
vided in classes conducted by the pastor, or at least it may 
be offered in books, which the pastor may select, dealing with 
Christian experience or outlining Christian truths. 

c. An effort must be made to have the young convert form 
the habit of daily and systematic Bible-reading, and also of 
cultivating the attitude and habit of prayer, and of continual 
dependence upon the Holy Spirit. 

d. The young convert should be encouraged to attend reg- 
ularly the services of the church and particularly the observ- 
ance of the Lord’s Supper, and should receive special 
instruction in reference to the significance of this sacrament. 

e. An effort should be made to secure for the young convert 


THE CURE OF SOULS 73 


the advantages and stimulating influences of Christian com- 
panionships and friendships. 

f. On uniting with the Church, the new member should be 
asked to become a regular contributor to the support of the 
Church and to its various benevolent causes. The system of 
Church finance should be explained and some information 
given as to the various forms of activity in which the Church 
is interested at home and abroad. 

g. Some definite part in the work of the church should be 
assigned, and the help of the young convert should be secured 
for the Sunday school and for the other organizations and 
societies. If possible, a new member should be encouraged 
to learn to take part in public meetings for prayer and 
testimony. | 

The possibility of a joyous and fruitful experience on the 
part of those who have just enlisted as followers of Christ is 
set forth in the closing verses of the second chapter of The 
Acts, which gives an account of those converts who became 
members of the Christian Church on the Day of Pentecost. 


5. THosE witH Dovusts AND DIFFICULTIES 


We live in an age of religious discussion and in an age 
disturbed by conflicting theories of science and philosophy. 
Every pastor will find among his people many who are deeply 
distressed by doubts concerning the essential truths of Chris- 
tianity and relating to every phase of Christian experience. 
Possibly those who are most troubled by the present unrest 
in the sphere of religion are the young people from our schools 
and colleges. In some cases this has been due to the actual 
teaching of rationalism and unbelief, but more commonly it 
is caused by facing for the first time the great problems of the 
universe and attempting to relate the investigations of modern 
science to the doctrines of the Christian Church. 

This situation places upon a pastor the responsibility of 
keeping abreast with the thought of the day; not that he must 
accept its conclusions, but that he may be able to understand 
the exact positions of those who are confronted by doubts 
and difficulties, 


74 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


The perplexed must be assured that there is no actual con- 
flict between reason and revelation, or between science and 
religion; and that most seeming contradictions are due. either 
to false interpretations of Scripture or to unsound theories 
of science. 

The pastor must be feral to pernee Christianity . He 
must not conceal his belief in a personal God, in an inspired 
Bible, or in a divine Saviour. He may Admit that Chris- 
tianity without the miraculous would be easier to believe, but 
he must intimate that it also would be less worth believing; 
that a religion without the supernatural may be simple, but 
that it also lacks saving power. 

In dealing with doubters, a pastor must be kindly and 
sympathetic. He must not show the least resentment. He 
must not appear surprised even at the most extravagant state- 
ments of unbelief, and he must not seem to regard any par- 
ticular case as peculiar. He must indicate that practically all 
religious doubts and objections to Christianity are antiquated 
and commonplace. He must not encourage the false conceit 
that unbelief is due to superior knowledge or to greater hon- 
esty or to unusual courage, but he must be prepared to show 
that, according to the verdict of history, these qualities are 
more commonly characteristic of those who profess the Chris- 
tian faith. 

He must explain that, according to modern pay olialeens 
faith is determined by ‘its factors: first, the belief; and 
second, the believer. Consequently, unbelief may be ihe not 
to anything unreasonable or absurd in the doctrine, but to 
some fault, either moral or mental, to some lack of informa- 
tion, to some mistakes in reasoning, or to the presence of pride 
and stubbornness on the part of the doubter. 

The pastor must be careful not to exaggerate the difficulty 
which has been presented. He must distinguish between the 
many kinds of doubt and the many classes of doubters. He 
must not insist that it is necessary to accept all the articles of 
any particular creed. He must explain that we should expect 
some apparent conflicts between the present assumptions of 
physical science and of modern philosophy and the accepted 


THE CURE OF SOULS 79 


dogmas of the Church. He must not make a doubter feel that 
because some article of faith has been abandoned, therefore 
one must surrender the whole Christian system. He should 
counsel patience and deliberation. The pastor should urge the 
doubter to wait until more light is secured, counseling him, 
meanwhile, to live faithfully in accordance with the light that 
he already has. He should insist that the matter of main 
importance is a personal relation to Christ and a willingness 
to obey him in all things. 

The pastor should be able to suggest some helpful books, 
particularly some elementary works in the sphere of apolo- 
getics and the evidences of Christianity. He should encourage 
the doubter to feel that with further study of the Bible, with 
prayer, and with consistent Christian living, doubts are sure 
to vanish and to be replaced by a strong and confident 
Christian faith. 


6. Tur DESPONDENT 


A pastor will be called upon to deal not only with persons 
who are troubled by doubts but also with those who are in 
absolute despair. -In many instances this spiritual depres- 
sion will be found to be due to physical causes; in others, to 
mistaken religious beliefs; and sometimes to both combined. 

More and more clearly we are coming to realize how seri- 
ously bodily disorders affect the mind. Many persons, for 
instance, who are suffering from low blood pressure, and 
therefore from an insufficient supply of blood to the brain, 
become victims of fixed ideas, and are obsessed with the 
thought that they have suffered an eclipse of faith; they insist 
that it is impossible for them to believe and that they conse- 
quently are hopelessly lost. | 

In such cases, it is well to advise rest or recreation or a 
change of pecupation Discussion should be avoided and an 
effort should be made to turn the thoughts into some new 
channel, to assure the sufferer that the difficulty is not so 
much mental or spiritual as it is physical, and to advise the 
services of a sympathetic Christian physician. 

Frequently the fixed idea takes the form of a conviction 


76 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


that the person has committed “the unpardonable sin.” Re- 
lief is sometimes afforded by asking the sufferer the nature of 
this sin. Usually it is discovered that no clear conception of 
any definite fault is in mind. The distress is due to a vague 
fear of having committed an unconscious fault. To meet the 
case, it should be shown that Christ referred to the possible 
offense of ascribing to satanic agency the miracles he wrought 
by the power of the Holy Spirit, when he spoke of a sin for 
which there would be no forgiveness. His remark in reference 
to one who should “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit” was 
made “because they said, He hath an unclean spirit,” 
Mark 3:30. 

In any case, it can be shown that God is willing to forgive 
every sin which the person can possibly name, and that he 
surely is ready to pardon every unintentional fault. Abso- 
lute assurance can be given of forgiveness, in the name of 
Christ and in virtue of his saving work. 

Others are oppressed by the belief that they have “sinned 
away the day of grace,” that it is now too late for them to 
repent, and that they have nothing to expect but eternal con- 
demnation and loss. Such sufferers must be assured that 
their very concern and dread are true signs of repentance and 
a desire for pardon, and that while life continues, it is never 
too late to turn to God, who is “not wishing that any should 
perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

This same assurance can be given to any who are tortured 
by misconceptions of the doctrine of divine “election.” They 
should be shown that this truth is one of the mysteries which 
are hidden in the mind of God, but that the will of man is 
free, that the offer of life is given to all, and that “whosoever 
will” may come and “take the water of life freely.” Admit 
the impossibility of fathoming the purposes of the Eternal, 
but insist that the free offer of salvation is made to all who 
are willing to accept Christ and his redemption. 

These and similar cases of despondency and despair must be 
treated with kindness and sympathy. No one of them must 
be ridiculed or derided; on the other hand, the sufferer 
must be shown that his fear is without real foundation. He 


THE CURE OF SOULS 17 


must not be allowed to review his case again and again or be 
humored too far. He must not be encouraged to believe that 
his experience is peculiar; he must be taught that it is com- 
mon to many others in like circumstances, that it can be 
explained on natural grounds, that there is no possible reason 
for despair, and that the grace of Christ is sufficient for every 
conceivable need. 

In all these cases when physical health is renewed, and 
when the teachings of Scripture are made plain, it should be 
expected that relief will result, and that peace of mind and 
joy of heart will be restored. 


7. Tue DELUDED 


We live in days of religious fads and fallacies, of perversions 
of Christianity, and of prevalent systems of corrupt belief. It 
is, therefore, the duty of a pastor to protect his people against 
false teachings, and if possible to rescue them from the perils 
of popular delusions. 

The situation is not new; Paul found it necessary to warn 
the Ephesian elders that, after his departing, ‘grievous 
wolves” would “enter in... not sparing the flock.” Nor 
are the forms of error new, for in spite of their boasted nov- 
elty, most religious fallacies are hoary with age and are merely 
baptized with new names and disguised under pretentious 
phrases. It is surprising, however, to note the wide popu- 
larity of these forms of deception. Among the most common 
may be mentioned Christian Science, Theosophy, Spiritism, 
New Thought, Seventh Day Adventism, Faith Cure, Modern- 
ism, and Mormonism. 

a. In view of the prevalence of these beliefs, a pastor must 
acquaint himself with their main features and fallacies. He 
need not in every instance make an exhaustive study of the 
system, but he should be able to speak with some intelligence 
in reference to each one, to distinguish it from the others, and, 
more specifically, to note the main points in which it contra- 
dicts Christianity and is subversive of Christian faith. For 
instance, one must not confuse Christian Science with Faith 


78 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


Cure; the former denies the personality of God and the 
reality of matter, of sin, of suffering, and of death. It has no 
place for the true deity of Jesus Christ, or for his resurrection 
or his atoning work. It is based on a perversion of Scripture, 
and is as truly opposed to all that is essentially Christian as 
to all that is truly scientific. 

On the other hand, a belief in Faith Cure is held by con- 
sistent and intelligent Christians, who accept every doctrine 
of the Scripture, and who merely are mistaken in the convic- 
tion that, in cases of sickness, means are to be rejected and 
the believer is to be cured by a miraculous and direct act 
of God. 

So, too, one must distinguish between false systems which 
are chiefly fraudulent, and those which are due to misinter- 
pretations of the Bible. Thus Mormonism is based wholly 
upon deception and a tissue of falsehoods. It was originated 
by the pretended discovery of “The Book of Mormon.” It 
teaches not only plurality of marriage but also a plurality of 
gods. It is a delusion which, whatever may be claimed for it, 
is really founded not upon Scripture but upon an alleged dis- 
covery by Joseph Smith. On the other hand, “Millennial 
Dawn” is the name given to a system of false teaching, the 
author of which claimed that he was interpreting the Bible. 
The dangerous fallacies of his interpretations are evidenced 
by such teachings as declaring Christ to be a created being 
and denying his atoning death, while insisting that his second 
coming has already occurred and that the professing Church 
is wholly apostate and should be abandoned by all true 
Christians. 

Then again, Seventh Day Adventists must be “iste iene 
from orthodox Christians who believe in a second advent of 
Christ. The former hold that this second advent took place 
in 1848; that since then Christ has been “cleansing the 
sanctuary” and will soon appear on earth; that Satan is the 
scapegoat on whom the sins of believers are laid; that it is 
pernicious to observe Sunday as the day of weekly rest; that 
the gift of prophecy still continues; that the souls of dead 


THE CURE OF SOULS 79 


believers sleep until the resurrection, and that the wicked are 
annihilated. Seventh Day Adventists are also said to hold 
that there is no salvation outside their communion. 

Spiritism, or Spiritualism as it was more commonly called 
in other days, attempts to bridge the chasm between the pres- 
ent life and the life which lies beyond the gates of death. In 
itself such an attempt might be regarded as natural and inno- 
cent, and Christian believers may properly search in Scripture 
for what is stated as to the future life, and may welcome any 
additional light which can be thrown upon these statements 
from any source. Most ‘“Spiritists,”’ however, reject the 
teachings of the Bible, repudiate the doctrine of future punish- 
ment, and are hostile to the claims of Christ, denying the 
deity of his person, the fact of his resurrection, the reality of 
his atonement, and the authority of his Word. It should be 
insisted that the boasted “revelations” of Spiritism are fraud- 
ulent and worthless; and that, judged by its history, the cult 
is demoralizing and dangerous, and is to be classed among 
the least worthy of modern delusions. | 

One should also distinguish between Theosophy and New 
Thought, though they are closely allied in their proud claims 
and in many of their fundamental fallacies. Both are essen- 
tially pantheistic in their philosophy. Both are contemptuous 
in their attitude toward the Scriptures and toward all vital 
Christian truth. In their denial of the personality of God 
and of the reality of sin, both have been properly described 
as anti-Biblical, antiethical, and antireligious. 

As to Modernism, it appears in many phases. In its ex- 
treme form it accepts a radical theory of evolution and of the 
uniformity of nature, rejecting all miracles and discrediting 
all that is supernatural in the holy Scriptures. It results, 
therefore, in a denial of the true deity of Christ, of his 
miraculous birth, of his bodily resurrection, and of his atoning 
work; it is thus to be distinguished from mere modern state- 
ments of Christian truth, or from fresh formulations of Chris- 
tian faith. Thus here, as in the case of all modern systems 
of religious teaching, one must distinguish carefully between 


80 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


elements which may be true and those which cannot stand 
the test of Scripture. 

b. The pastor must be quite as careful to discriminate be- 
tween individual cases of religious delusion as between the 
different systems of prevalent misbelief. A person may call 
himself a Christian Scientist without any clear understanding 
of what the term denotes. One may mean merely that he has 
discontinued the use of drugs and is depending for bodily cure 
upon some mental attitude, or other application of the recog- 
nized law that the mind can influence the body. Such a 
person may be much surprised to learn the actual religious 
teachings of the system which he imagines he has adopted. 
The same may be true in reference to those who profess to 
accept Theosophy or New Thought or others of these popular 
fallacies. It is the duty of the pastor to ascertain accurately 
the tenets which are held, and to set forth the essential doc- 
trines of Christianity which the system in question may 
contradict or deny. 

Each case must be treated, not only with discrimination, 
but also with sympathy. Ridicule must be avoided, even 
though it cannot be denied that much which is taught by 
Christian Science is absurd in the extreme, and in this point 
resembles many of the solemn assertions of Theosophy and of 
New Thought. 

The pastor should endeavor to place in the hands of those 
who have been misled by these popular delusions reliable books 
in which the errors are exposed and the fallacies are explained. 
Many works of this kind have been published in connection 
with all these delusions and may be secured with little effort. 

The pastor must not allow himself to be drawn into pro- 
tracted argument with advocates of these misbeliefs, nor must 
he be discouraged in case his advice is rejected and the victim 
of delusion is not open to reason or to guidance. His chief 
service may be rendered in urging such persons to a careful 
and prayerful study of the Bible, and particularly of those 
great essential doctrines which these false religious systems 
deny. 


THE CURE OF SOULS 81 


8. BACKSLIDERS 


In every parish will be found persons who once were joyful 
in their Christian experience and fruitful in Christian service, 
who now seem utterly irreligious and devoid of interest in the 
Church or its work. Such are commonly known as _ back- 
sliders. When dealing with these, the pastor must endeavor 
to ascertain in each case the exact cause of the spiritual de- 
cline. These causes are numerous and diverse. Among them 
may be named the following: An offense by some previous 
pastor or by some member of the church; dissatisfaction with 
some feature of the public worship of the church; a serious 
moral lapse; financial reverses; unusual business prosperity ; 
abnormal love of pleasure and amusements; the influence of 
false religious teachings. Probably the most common cause 
of all is the neglect of prayer, of Bible study, and of attend- 
ance upon the worship of the church, and, therefore, the most 
common remedy consists in inducing the backslider again to 
open his Bible, to resume his habits of prayer, to attend regu- 
larly upon the services of the sanctuary, and to engage 
actively in some form of Christian work. 

Sometimes the question is raised as to the character of the 
previous religious experience from which the person has 
declined. It is not well to allow time to be wasted in dis- 
cussing whether this was or was not a real “conversion” or a 
“new birth.” Fix the thought upon the present. If one now 
does not love Christ and is indifferent to his service, it is 
perilous for him to rely upon some past experience of “salva- 
tion.” Present indifference is the best possible proof that the 
former experience was illusory and unreal. 

On the other hand, if anyone fears that the former experi- 
ence was not genuine, let him spend no time in looking back- 
ward; let him leave the past with God, and now, if never 
before, or now as never before, let him cast himself upon the 
grace of Christ for forgiveness, and publicly take his place 
among the followers of Christ, earnestly undertaking some 
task in the Church of Christ. 

The pastor must not be discouraged in his effort to reach 


82 THE WORK ‘OF ’*THE PASTOR 


such backshders. Such persons must not be allowed to sup- 
pose that their situation is hopeless, but must be assured of 
the willingness. of God to forgive and to restore the joy and 
peace and power of.former days. . 

_ In this task of bringing back to active service and to a vital 
Christian experience those who have lapsed, it may be possible 
to secure the aid of selected members of the congregation, near 
relatives. or friends, who can be. induced to use their influence 
in restoring the wandering and the indifferent. | 


9. Tie Sick 


aati the iste 2 is one of the most precious privileges and 
one of:the most necessary tasks of the pastor. In order that 
no one who is ill may be: neglected, the pastor must impress 
upon his people the duty ‘of reporting to him all cases of 
sickness; even then, and in spite of every effort to keep him- 
self informed, he will, often be reproached for lacking the 
omniscience to know of sufferers whose misfortunes have not 
been mentioned to him. | 

When he learns of sickness he must call nrorinele and 
when the illness is serious, he must repeat his visits with such 
frequency as the case may seem to demand, in some instances 
even daily. If: possible, he should ascertain from the phy- 
sician the nature of the sickness, and. from the relatives or 
friends something of the moral and spiritual state of the 
sufferer. He must not insist upon seeing the patient, if this 
is contrary to the desire and advice of those in attendance. 

His bearing must be calm and cheerful and hopeful. His 
call should be brief, but free from all appearance of haste, 
and must not seem to be professional or perfunctory. The 
sick. person should not be made to talk, particularly when 
suffering; nor in such cases should the pastor attempt to give 
any extended message, but simply an expression of interest, 
sympathy, and affection. Any further ideas may be con- 
veyed in the brief prayer which may be offered as he kneels 
by the bed. Expression should thus be given to the assurance 
of the goodness and grace of God, of pardon and acceptance 
in the name of Christ, of confidence in the loving plan of God 


THE CURE OF SOULS 83 


for each life, and of patient submission to his sovereign will. 
In less serious cases of illness, and during convalescence, the 
pastor can converse with the patient, removing doubts and 
fears and imparting spiritual truths; he can read passages of 
Scripture as well as offer prayer, and, at times, can bring en- 
lightenment and help not only to the patient but also to those 
who are caring for the patient and who are often peculiarly 
susceptible to such helpful impressions.. 

In case of contagious or infectious diseases, the pastor must 
not shrink from any necessary danger or hesitate to bring 
any help or comfort which may be within his power. How- 
ever, he must not break the laws regulating the isolation of 
persons suffering from such diseases. He must not fail to 
consult the attending physician. He must not expose himself 
when he is especially fatigued. He must not: touch the patient 
or inhale his breath; or should he linger in the room longer 
than the conditions may demand. He must not go at once 
to other houses, and on his return home he must not endanger 
his own family, but must make such changes of clothing, and 
adopt such measures of disinfection as the physician will 
advise. 

In case of critical illness and approaching death, ‘it is 
usually not necessary to inform the sufferer definitely of his 
danger. One must be guided in this matter by the advice and 
wishes of physicians and relatives; yet commonly a few 
kindly and cautious words or, better still, some brief but 
significant sentences of prayer, may indicate the seriousness 
of the crisis and may at the same time turn the mind of the 
sufferer to Christ in penitent trust and confident hope. 

In visiting a patient in a hospital, usually the pastor should 
not sit down, but should stand by the bedside. He should 
talk in brief and hopeful terms, and, when about to leave, 
should make an audible prayer, eee with a blessing and a 
benediction. 


10. Tue BEREAVED 


The ministry of consolation may begin in the sick room 
when hope for the recovery of some loved one has_ been 


84 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


abandoned, or even in the death chamber, if the pastor be 
present; but wherever he may be, when the news reaches him 
of a bereavement among his parishioners, he must call with- 
out delay at the stricken home. Huis first visit should be 
brief. Sometimes it is not convenient for the family to re- 
ceive him and he may leave a card or a verbal message. Even 
when he does see the members of the family, conditions may 
be such that he can do no more than express in a few words 
his sympathy and his desire to be of any possible help. He 
should not endeavor to stop any natural outburst of emotion; 
tears are often a great relief to the broken-hearted. He must 
not make any reference to the plans for burial, unless the 
subject is introduced by some member of the household. If 
those who receive him are sufficiently composed, he may state 
some comforting truths. These should be definitely Christian, 
not merely commonplace proverbs of pagan philosophy, which 
speak of the “common lot” and the “inevitable end.” Assur- 
ance should be given that the loved one has gone to be with 
Christ and is in conscious blessedness in the Father’s house; 
that reunion is certain, and that, in resurrection glory, fellow- 
ship will be restored; and further, that the Holy Spirit, the 
Comforter, a real Person by his presence and power, will 
supply all needed grace. 

Some who have been bereaved will reveal a rebellious and 
bitter spirit; if possible, they should be led to submit to the 
mysterious but gracious will of God. 

Some will bitterly reproach themselves for real or imagined 
unkindnesses or neglect. They should be reminded of the 
fruitlessness of remorse, of the gracious pardon of God, and 
of the possibility of increased gentleness and service toward 
the living. 

Some will suffer a sorrow still more poignant because of the 
fear that the loved one was not prepared to die. In such a 
distressing case, truth must not be compromised; yet one must 
insist that we are not called upon to judge the future of any 
soul, but can safely leave each one to the unknown mercies of 
a loving God. 

Some will continue to brood over their sorrows, and will 


THE CURE OF SOULS 85 


need encouragement to undertake some definite task, and 
thus, in some measure, to forget themselves in the service of 
others. 

It is not wise for the pastor to attempt any explanation of 
the dark mysteries of Providence, but he must frequently be 
ready to correct the common mistake of supposing that a 
special bereavement is in the nature of a divine punishment. 
Puzzling and unanswerable questions will be asked, but most 
of these must be left to the obscurity which veils the unseen 
world. 

In some cases an opportunity will be found for reading 
comforting passages of Scripture or for reciting from memory 
some familiar verses; and in practically every instance, it will 
be possible to offer prayer, and thus to leave the stricken 
hearts with a consciousness of the presence and love of God, 
whose grace never fails. 


11. THe AFFLICTED 


The bereaved are not the only members of a flock who need 
the ministry of consolation. There are other forms of affliction, 
the sorrow of which is even more bitter than that caused by 
death. A sudden reverse of fortune, the permanent loss of 
health, the protracted agony of a lingering disease, the birth 
of a deformed or defective child, the disgrace caused by a 
prodigal son or a wayward daughter—these are among the 
afflictions which baffle the mind, crush the heart, and shake 
the faith of the most loyal followers of Christ. To all such 
sufferers, the Christian minister must be able to furnish relief 
and cheer and hope. 

In some cases, the distressing facts are learned gradually 
and indirectly, through rumor; in others, their public an- 
nouncement comes with a sudden shock to the whole com- 
munity. In any of the former instances it may be best for 
the pastor first to write a letter stating that such a report has 
reached him, expressing his sympathy and regret, offering a 
conference if desired, and promising any possible aid. 

When, however, the affliction is a matter of public report, 
the pastor should call immediately, and should do so in his 


86 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


capacity as a representative of Christ and of his Church. In 
most cases he need say but little, particularly when visiting 
one who is in physical distress. What a stricken soul needs 
most is to have an assurance of Christian friendship and to 
have the thoughts turned toward God. Even the friends of 
Job knew enough to sit for a time in silence; but whatever one 
says, he must not fall into their error of intimating that any 
particular affliction is.a rebuke for sin. It is true that sin 
always brings suffering; yet it must be made clear that specific 
sufferings usually cannot be traced to personal sins. Many 
persons suffer innocently, and among the greatest sufferers 
are little children and righteous saints. Obviously some per- 
sons do suffer for their faults, but most Christians who are 
afflicted need to be protected against the common temptation 
of reproaching themselves for imagined faults, and of seeking 
in their past conduct for the source of present grief. 

Of course, if wrongdoing is known and confessed, the doer 
must be led to repentance and be reminded that the very heart 
of the gospel is the forgiving grace of God in Christ Jesus. 

Further, it 1s often necessary to guard the sufferer against 
the danger of supposing that God.is the author of evil. One 
must distinguish between what God permits and what he de- 
erees.. The distinction does not solve the impenetrable mys- 
tery of suffering, but it is sufficiently accurate to afford much 
relief. That. is, God in. his goodness has established certain 
fixed laws; a world in which the operation of law was not uni- 
form would be intolerable. Therefore, when either intention- 
ally or ignorantly these natural laws are violated, suffering 
and pain inevitably result. Such distress must not be at- 
tributed to the direet action.of God. The same is evidently 
true in cases where the laws of society or of the state have 
been violated, with the consequent penalties and disgrace. 

However, it is usually best neither to deny nor to minimize, 
nor to attempt to solve, the mystery of suffering, but to lead 
the sufferer. to leave his case with God, giving the absolute 
assurance upon which faith can rest that “To them that love 
God all things work together for good.” 

In the Christian view of suffering, while its mystery is not 


THE CURE OF ‘SOULS | 87 


solved, it is regarded as certain to issue in some greater bless- 
ing, either in time or in eternity. As the apostle declares, 
“Our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us 
more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while 
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things 
which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temvoral; 
but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Thus only in 
the lhght of eternity can the sufferer vindicate the goodness 
of God, and only in this light can the Christian endure ae 
patience the distresses of the present: time. 

One who is willing to intrust’ himself wholly to the care of 
his loving Father, who is able to believe, even in experiences 
which cannot be explained, will ultimately realize that the 
trial of his faith, “being more precious than gold that perisheth 
though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and 
glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

For those in affliction, however, the most: pressing need is 
that of present help, the help which can come only from an 
absolute assurance of the presence of the Comforter, who is 
ready and able at all times to give needed grace. Of his 
blessed ministry those in affliction need to be reminded, and 
of his power to fulfill the promise of the Master: “My grace 
is sufficient for thee.” 


12°>- Huw Errinc : 


In every congregation of Christians will be those who, while 
not such flagrant offenders as to.be proper subjects of official 
discipline, and not so indifferent to the church and its services 
as to be classed among the “backsliders,” are nevertheless in 
need of kindly warning and even of serious admonition. or 
rebuke. Some may be not actually immoral who yet are dan- 
gerously indiscreet; others may be unconscious. of serious 
faults whose influence is injurious because of carelessness in 
the performance of religious duties, of laxity in the observance 
of the Lord’s Day, of thoughtlessness in the matter of ques- 
tionable practices. Still others may be guilty of circulating 
slanderous reports, and others may be Sah mistaken 
beliefs. 


88 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


To deal with such offenders personally and privately is 
clearly within the province of pastoral duties; as Paul en- 
joined Timothy, when the latter was in charge of the church 
at Ephesus, “Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering 
and teaching.” 

Paul plainly indicated that the spirit in which this task is 
to be performed must be that ef great forbearance and “long- 
suffering”; one must not appear to be officious or intrusive or 
captious; he must not exaggerate a fault or treat too seriously 
a matter of no real significance. He must adopt the method 
of “teaching” which Paul suggests. That is, he must make 
plain the principles of right action and the grounds for correct 
belief. 

Sometimes the pastor can act through a third party—a 
parent, a relative, a friend. Usually he must try to see the 
offender alone. If the offense has been serious, a confession 
should be secured, not as to the details of the fault, but as to 
the fact. The peril of beginning a wrong course must be made 
plain; also the importance of a right example, and the obliga- 
tion resting upon professed followers of Christ, not only to 
avoid placing stumblingblocks in the paths of others but also 
to live so as to make it easier for others to lead a Chris- 
tian life. 

Sometimes such advice will be resented as an intrusion; 
sometimes it will be wise to have another person present to 
serve as a witness of the conversation; sometimes it will be 
necessary to bring the matter before a Church court. But in 
most instances the advice will be taken gratefully, and lives 
will be saved from peril and disaster. 

The supreme requisite for success on the part of the pastor 
is a spirit of humility and love in dealing with these erring 
members of his flock. For guidance in performing such deli- 
cate duties, one needs to remember the words of Paul: 
“Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye 
who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; 
looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one 
another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” 


THE CURE OF SOULS 89 


13. Tue PERPLEXED 


Scarcely a subject could be named upon which the advice 
of a pastor is not asked. Therefore, while he never must ap- 
pear to lack sympathy, on the other hand, he must not assume 
omniscience. He will be expected to give counsel and aid to 
persons in every kind of trouble. Yet he can properly feel 
that his chief responsibility is to those who are perplexed by 
problems which concern morals and religion. These latter 
problems arise in every sphere of human experience, and, 
therefore, the pastor is expected to advise as to Christian con- 
duct in almost every conceivable situation in life. 

It is evident that he will be greatly aided in his work by a 
knowledge of psychology, by an understanding of human 
nature, by some acquaintance with the laws of evidence, by 
the ability to interpret motives, and by some understanding 
of the fundamental demands both of civil law and of Christian 
ethics. Many questions of casuistry arise which may be 
solved by applying to them essential Christian principles. 

Financial troubles are frequently presented. These may 
often be referred to some Christian layman for advice, or 
when immediate aid is asked, the matter may be referred to 
proper officers of the church for their investigation and action. 
However, the pastor must usually listen to each story with 
patience, and sometimes he can show how a debt may be 
refunded, how expenses may be reduced, or how an income 
may be increased. Quite commonly he can urge such habits 
as will result in avoiding debt, and he can strengthen the de- 
termination of the one in trouble to act with absolute honesty 
and to meet courageously situations of great difficulty. 

When domestic troubles and tangles are presented, the pas- 
tor must refuse to pass judgment on a husband or a wife until 
both parties have been heard. He must then bring husband 
and wife together and let each tell the story in the presence 
of the other. He must seek to effect a reconciliation, advising 
self-control, mutual forgiveness, and Christian love. He must 
regard all confidences as absolutely sacred. He must even 
refuse to receive such as are unnecessary or are improper for 


90 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


him to share, and he must ask only for such information or 
confessions as will make it possible for him to form : a judg- 
ment and to give helpful advice. — 

In questions of conscience, as to matters about the lawful- 
ness of which there is a difference of opinion among Chris- 
tians, a little sensible advice will often give great relief to 
sensitive souls, which are needlessly tormenting themselves 
by being overscrupulous. However, the pastor must refuse 
to allow his opinion to take the place of conscience for anyone. 
He can advise in such matters, but he must leave the decision 
with the one who is perplexed. In solving the problems which 
are occasioned by scruples as to which the opinions of Chris- 
tians differ, the rules which should be given are rather 
definite: : ‘ | nes Se 


a. Do what you believe would please your divine. Master. 

b. Refrain from any questionable practice until certain it is 
right for you. 

c. Do not condemn another for doing what vou think is 
wrong. 

d. Do not despise others for refusing to ate what you regard 
as right. 

e. Do not influence another to do what he considers to be 
wrong. 

f. Have a kindly regard for the feelings and opinions of 
others, and be willing to sacrifice your own rights for their 
happiness. welfare, and safety. 


In these, and in all other cases, try to fix the mind of the 
perplexed upon God and upon the reality of his guidance, 
giving the assurance that as one continues to read his Word, 
to obey the voice of conscience, to regard the providences of 
life, and to pray for direction, light will ultimately come and 
perplenitics will disappear. 


14. Mature CHRISTIANS 


The members of a flock who sometimes are most neglected, 
particularly by young pastors, are those who are most mature 


THE CURE OF SOULS al 


in their Christian faith and experience. They are supposed 
to have no need of pastoral care, yet many of these saintly 
souls are peculiarly hungry for spiritual fellowship, and par- 
ticularly appreciative of any attention and consideration. 
They often feel that the pastor is the one person who could 
really sympathize with them, as he alone may have the knowl- 
edge of the Scriptures and the acquaintance with the deep 
things of God, which, with most other persons, come only after 
long years of study and of experience. They would like to 
talk with him about the mysteries of the Christian faith and 
to have his judgment as to troublesome questions which they 
hesitate to discuss with others. They fear to mention these 
matters to those who might misunderstand or who have no 
interest in things spiritual. | 

To such Christians, the pastor should devote no little time. 
He should encourage them to speak freely of their beliefs, 
their aspirations, their problems, and their conscious needs. 
He should offer to pray with them. He should exchange with 
them books on religious subjects and give them the joy of a 
true spiritual companionship. Thus his own life will be im- 
measurably enriched, and thus, as in no other way, he will 
receive preparation and guidance for the difficult task of the 
cure of souls. 


CHAPTER V 
RELIGIOUS SERVICES 


1. Tuer Conpuct or WorsHIP 


Many denominations of Christians have prescribed 
liturgies, or forms of worship, which their ministers are ex- 
pected to employ in conducting religious services. In non- 
liturgical Churches, however, the conduct of public worship 
and of religious ceremonies is left largely to the discretion and 
judgment and choice of the officiating clergyman. It is true 
that this sacred duty is more definitely related to the work of 
the preacher than to that of the pastor; yet on many occasions 
every Christian minister is expected to fill this high office, and 
in preparation for it he should study books dealing with 
liturgics. He should become familiar with the Directory for 
Worship, the Book of Forms, or the Book of Common Wor- 
ship provided by his Church. At the very least, he should aim 
in the conduct of worship to attain the following ideals: 


a. First of all, public worship should be orderly. 


The various parts of the service should be thoughtfully 
selected and logically related. In most Protestant congrega- 
tions the stated public services consist chiefly of those familiar 
elements which seem to have been: adopted by the primitive 
Church; namely, praise, reading of Scripture, prayer, offerings, 
preaching, and the administration of the sacraments. It would 
seem also that since a very early date creeds have been in use 
as public confessions of Christian faith. 

As to the exact order of these parts, opinion and usage 
differ. Considerable liberty of arrangement should be allowed. 
to the pastor; yet in his Sunday-morning service he should not 
introduce too frequent changes. 

92 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 93 


Usually, more than one hymn or anthem is sung and 
more than one Scripture lesson is used, one of the latter 
being read responsively. So, too, the congregation unites more 
than once in prayer, generally including The Lord’s Prayer. 
When the Creed is recited, it logically should follow the read- 
ing of the Scripture, for it is a response, on the part of the 
worshiper, to the message which has come to him from the 
Word of God, expressing his acceptance of revealed truth. 
“Gloria Patri” is often sung after the responsive reading. In 
the service of praise the doxology is frequently used first, al- 
though many persons feel that it would be more appropriate at 
the close of worship. When public announcements must be 
made, they should follow a hymn and not a prayer. Special 
services are often appointed for the observance of the sacra- 
ments, but when these form a part of the stated worship of 
the church, baptism is administered usually near the opening 
of the service, and the Lord’s Supper after the sermon. 
Almost universally a benediction is pronounced by the minister 
at the close of the service. After this it is seemly for the 
congregation to remain seated for a time in silent prayer. 

An order of service should not be elaborate or complex. 
Simplicity usually makes for spirituality. A sufficiently 
comprehensive order might be as follows: 1. Praise. 2. Prayer 
of invocation, closing with The Lord’s Prayer. 3. Praise. 4. 
Responsive reading of Scripture, followed by the Gloria. 5. 
Scripture lesson. 6. The Apostles’ Creed. 7. Prayer. 8. 
Praise. 9. The offering. 10. The sermon. 11. Prayer. 12. 
Praise. 13. The benediction. 14. Silent prayer. 


b. Public worship should be unified. 


There should be manifested a real harmony between the 
various parts which enter into a particular service. If possible, 
there should be some dominating thought or truth which will 
determine the general character of each part. The Scripture 
lessons, the hymns and anthems, and even the prayers should 
all have some relation to the character of the sermon. 

This, however, does not mean that one should encourage 
monotony. Sometimes a contrast will heighten an effect. It 


94 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


does mean, however, that the leader must consider in advance, 
and thoughtfully prepare, every feature of the service. 


c. Public worship should be social. 

It should be conducted so that all the Pty will 
have a part in it. The worshipers are not to be simply silent 
listeners and observers. The congregation should unite 
heartily in praise, in The Lord’s Prayer, in the responsive read- 
ing of Scripture, in the Creed, as well as in the presentation 
of offerings. Worship should thus be a corporate act, mM 
which believers as a body unite. : 


d. Public worship should be spirited. 

It never should be allowed to become dull, dreary, per- 
functory, listless, or lifeless. Interest may be secured in part 
by punctuality. A service should be begun at exactly the 
hour announced. While haste or abruptness are to be avoided, 
nevertheless no time should be lost in passing from one part 
of the service to the next. The leader never should keep the 
congregation waiting while he searches for his notes or finds 
the places in his Bible or hymn book. 

Scripture lessons should not be long, and the same is true 
of the anthems and prayers. The sermon should not occupy 
more than thirty minutes. The hymns should not be allowed 
to “drag”; some should be sung with a considerable degree of 
rapidity. The air of the minister should be earnest, alert, 
animated. The whole service should have movement, fervor, 
enthusiasm, spirit. 


e. Public services may be made popular. 

They may be so conducted as to attract unbelievers. Spe- 
cial features may be introduced with these very people in 
view. This is particularly true of the Sunday-night service. 
The question is often being asked whether this second service 
should be abandoned. Possibly this may be necessary in some 
places and under some conditions, but this service frequently 
is being employed to crowd the church with those who usually 
are regarded as careless and irreligious. Such a service may 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 95 


be enriched by the use of the fine arts, of music, poetry, and 
painting, as well as of eloquence. Music will make its appeal 
both in the congregational singing of hymns and also by the 
services of a choir. ‘Pictures may at times be produced, and 
even religious pageants. At such services there must be 
special care to avoid that which is monotonous, prolix, or tire- 
some. There is no reason why the eye as well as the ear may 
not be addressed in order to gain an entrance to the soul for 
the gospel message. 


f. Public worship must be dignified. 

Nothing grotesque or offensive is to be tolerated. The 
air of the minister must never be flippant. His tone must rot 
be casual. His manner must never be irreverent. No features 
may be introduced into the service which are not befitting a 
house of God, and which cannot be regarded as true worship 
rendered in his conscious presence. 


g. Above all, public worship must be edifying. | 

This was the supreme requirement which the Apostle Paul 
made of the Corinthian church. Mere entertainment is never 
justifiable; but on the other hand, prayers or sermons which 
are not intelligible should not be permitted. The reading of 
the Scripture should be done after much preparation, and with 
such thoughtfulness and impressiveness that it brings a real 
message to the hearers: The prayers should be such as are 
calculated to lift the worhipers into the very presence of God 
and to bring them into fellowship with him. The pastor must 
thus seek in the entire service truly to express the religious 
life of the people, to voice their faith, to strengthen them for 
their tasks, and if possible to add to their numbers. Such wor-. 
ship cannot fail to be helpful to men and acceptable to God. 


2. PusBuic PRAYER 


The most sacred and exacting feature of worship is the con- 
duct of prayer. It is an act addressed directly to the living 
God; it should make the congregation of worshipers conscious 
of his presence and bring them into communion with him, and 


96 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


thus prepare their hearts and minds for all other portions of 
the service. 

For the proper exercise of this peculiar privilege definite 
preparation is demanded. This should be both general and 
special. General preparation includes: 


a. The habit of private prayer, particularly of oral and 
vocal prayer. 

b. The study of the devotional portions of the Bible, 
especially of The Psalms, and of the prayers of the Old Testa- 
ment and the New Testament. 

c. Familiarity with devotional literature. 

d. Reference to the prayers which are the common prop- 
erty of the Christian Church and which are contained in 
various manuals and books of worship. 

e. A practical knowledge of men, of the lives of parishion- 
ers, of public events, and a sympathetic interest in human 
affairs. 

f. An effort to enlarge one’s vocabulary, and to memorize 
devotional expressions. 

g. Meditation. 


If such general preparation is habitual, there will be less 
need for special preparation, yet the latter is seldom unneces- 
sary. Before each service one should consider the nature of 
the occasion, the circumstances, and the specific needs of his 
Church, and of the community, and of the larger world. He 
should determine at least an order of thought as well as the 
general contents of his petitions. Some ministers find it help- 
ful to write out their pulpit prayers, and even to memorize 
them, particularly in the early years of their ministry. This 
need not be demanded of all; yet in many cases this part of 
the service should be so carefully premeditated as to preclude 
all hesitation or confusion or serious omissions. If, however, 
a general outline is in mind, it is usually best to allow the 
exact phrases to be an expression of the devotional mood and 
the awakened sentiments of one who, in the act of prayer, is 
consciously mindful of the needs of his people and of the 
presence of God. 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES On 
Public prayer should be marked by the following char- 
acteristics: 


a. It should be reverent. 

The one who leads should be such in his very attitude. He 
should not lean upon the pulpit or toy with the Bible or the 
hymnal, but should stand erect with his hands folded and his 
eyes closed. 

His manner should not be casual or indifferent or hasty. 
He should not be abrupt and should wait for silence before 
he begins. His tones should not be boisterous, nor yet 
monotonous, but clear, distinct, quiet, and fervent. 

There is also a language of devotion which may be acquired 
eradually. It has been produced by centuries of Christian 
worship. It is not a mere mosaic of Scripture quotations, 
though it echoes their spirit and tone. It is not colloquial, 
nor yet is it stilted, conventional, or archaic, but it is marked 
by simplicity, freedom, dignity, directness, and power; it is 
not prosaic or stereotyped, but imaginative, poetic, symbolic, 
and passionate. 

The substance of the prayer should be elevated in thought 
and dignified in expression. It is proper to address the 
Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. More commonly prayer 
is offered to the Father, in the name of the Son, under the 
guidance of the Spirit; but in any case, one should avoid men- 
tioning the divine names too frequently or uniting with them 
terms of familiarity or endearment. Dignity also forbids all 
witticisms or humor in prayer, and all that is repetitious, 
insignificant, and commonplace. 


b. Public prayer should be supplicatory. 

It is to be addressed not to men but to God. It should not 
be didactic, unfolding systems of theology or dealing minutely 
with Christian doctrine. It should not contain flattering ref- 
erences to visiting ministers, or compliments or rebukes in- 
tended for the congregation. Its effect upon the worshipers 
is not to be so much informing as inspiring. 


98 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


c. It should be representative. 

It must be framed to express the worship of the congrega- 
tion and not the desires and experiences and emotions of the 
preacher. It should be directed to meet the needs of the 
people and to voice their interests, their sorrows, their hopes, 
and their wants. It should be in a true sense congregational 


and pastoral. 


d. It should be comprehensive. 

Not every prayer should be such, yet at the stated worship 
of the church a service of prayer should include the following 
commonly recognized parts: (1) Adoration. (2) Thanks- 
giving. (3) Confession. (4) Suppheation, or petition for 
the congregation then present. (5) Intercession, including 
requests for all classes of men, for the Church, and for the 
State. There is always danger that public prayer may be 
either too personal, expressing only the sentiments of the 
leader, or too parochial, excluding reference to the community, 
the nation, and the world. 


e. Public prayer, however, should be brief. 

Even the “long prayer” should not merit the name; six 
or eight minutes should suffice; and the prayer of “invocation,” 
the offertory prayer, and the closing prayer should all be 
short, concise, and pointed. A multitude of subjects will sug- 
gest themselves to the pastor, but they can be covered on suc- 
cessive Sundays and thus monotony and undue length can 
be avoided. 


f. It should be hopeful. | 

Some ministers always assume in prayer not only an 
artificial tone, but also one that is funereal and sad, and the 
substance of their petitions is as depressing as their voices. 
Of course, there must be solemn adoration and humble con- 
fession, but the main notes of worship should be joy, peace, 
confidence, and cheer. 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES a0 


g. Prayer must be Christian. 

It must be molded by revealed truth and offered in the name 
of Christ. When the Master rose to the supreme climax of 
all his instruction as to prayer, he taught his disciples to pray 
in his name, which did not mean simply with the mention of 
his personal or official title, but in virtue of all that he was 
and did as Lord and Saviour. When worship is offered with 
faith in his divine Person and in view of his redeeming work, 
it is sure to be acceptable to God. 


3. THe MUSICAL SERVICE 


No pastor should relinquish control of the musical service 
in his own church. He will act in harmony with his organist 
or choir leader, he may be aided by an intelligent committee, 
he must not usurp the authority of the session or official board. 
Nevertheless, as nearly one half of the public worship is occu- 
pied by preludes, hymns, anthems, solos, offertories, responses, 
and postludes, and inasmuch as these can either deepen or 
destroy the helpful impression of the other portions of the 
service, one who has the responsibility of conducting the wor- 
ship must never leave the character of the musical service to 
the choice of assistants. 

As for his other duties, so, for this important task, the pas- 
tor needs discipline and training. Happily some theological 
seminaries are beginning to give instruction in the important 
matter of Church music. Each pastor, however, must seek 
by private study to acquaint himself with the history, the 
forms, the importance, and the large possibilities of sacred 
music. It is a great advantage if he can read music, can 
sing, or can play an instrument. However, he needs no pro- 
longed course of study or technical musical training to be able 
to understand and to apply the chief principles involved in 
rightly directing the musical services of the church. 

a. The controlling principle is the religious purpose of 
Church music. This music is intended to aid in the worship 
of God and to deepen spiritual impressions. It is never an 


100 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


end in itself. It is not pure art, but applied art, and, there- 
fore, valuable only in so far as it serves its specific purpose. 
Thus the best Church music is not always that which most 
exactly conforms to an abstract, artistic standard, but rather 
that which is most perfectly adapted to express or to create 
religious feeling in a particular congregation, or on a specific 
occasion. Therefore, the pastor, who has carefully studied 
the needs of his people and who has in view a definite purpose 
for each service, can better determine the appropriate char- 
acter of the musical selections than can the most talented 
musical critic, unless the latter has had a real religious ex- 
perience and is in sympathy with the aim of the particular 
service. 

b. Again it is to be remembered that while music makes 
a more direct and powerful appeal to the emotions than does 
any other art, mere emotion is not necessarily religious. It 
becomes religious only by the association of ideas. Music 
by itself has no moral or religious value. Its influence de- 
pends upon the thoughts with which it is associated. There- 
fore, the attempt never must be made to wed sacred words to 
secular tunes. Therefore, also, organ selections are of no help 
if out of harmony with the worship which follows or precedes. 
So, too, a solo is of no value if the words are not distinctly 
sung or if it attracts attention to the singer. Tunes are not 
desirable if the rhythm is too prominently accented; nor are 
anthems inspiring if so intricate and so marked by counter- 
point and chromatics and surprises as to make the impression 
of being a musical performance. In short, the ideal Church 
music will not be noticed, but its effect will be felt and 
remembered. 

c. With such principles in mind it is evident that the ahuree 
organ, which can be of such help in giving a foundation for 
the music and dignity to the service, may be so abused as to 
be a great obstacle to worship. It may be played so boister- 
ously as to drown the voices of the worshipers; an offertory 
may be of such a character as to make it difficult to follow it 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 101 


with a sermon, while a postlude may be such as to destroy the 
whole effect of a solemn message. 

d. So, too, a choir may be of help in three ways: First, it 
may lead the congregation in the service of sacred song; sec- 
ond, it may inspire the congregation through the noble but 
more difficult compositions of praise to God; and third, it may 
bring an impressive message to the congregation of worship- 
ers. To accomplish the last of these purposes, a solo, marked 
by simplicity, sincerity, and emotion is best adapted. For the 
first two purposes, a chorus choir is best qualified. The least 
desirable form of choir is the quartet. In many churches 
nothing else seems available. It is probably better than no 
choir at all, but the best form is that of a chorus selected from 
the people of the congregation. It has its difficulties, but 
these are far outweighed by its obvious advantages, and, as 
far as possible, the chorus should be adopted in all churches. 

e. Usually the most important parts of the musical service 
are the hymns which are to be sung by the congregation. 
These must be thoughtfully selected. Next to his Bible, the 
hymnal should be the book with which a minister is most 
familiar. In case three hymns are used in a particular service, 
the first should be a call to praise; the second, a more general 
expression of worship; and the third should have some more 
special relation to the message of the sermon. If the hymns 
are announced, such a portion of the first stanza should be 
read as to express a complete thought. At times, the intelli- 
gent reading of an entire hymn is to be commended. Only in 
exceptional cases should stanzas be omitted. An effort should 
be made to employ a wide range of hymns. The pastor should 
bring forth from his hymnal “things new and old.” He 
should occasionally mention, in connection with a hymn, 
some interesting fact related to its composer, its author, or its 
spiritual message. Such congregational singing should be an 
inspiring feature of every service. 

If the pastor keeps in mind the supreme purpose which may 
be served by Church music, if in advance he advises definitely 


102 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


with his choir as to the exact character and themes of the 
coming services, if he enlists their cordial codperation and 
support, he will find that the musical services will immeas- 
urably increase the power and influence of all his pulpit 
ministrations. 


4. Tur MIpwEEK SERVICE 


The problem of the midweek service, or “prayer meeting,” 
is increasingly difficult because of the complex character of 
modern life, its haste and absorption, and possibly because 
of a waning faith in the efficacy of prayer. In many places, 
this service has become a perfunctory, lifeless, and poorly 
attended reproduction of the Sunday-morning gathering. In 
other places it has been abandoned. The problem, however, 
is capable of successful solution. The degree of success will 
depend largely upon the time and effort the pastor is willing 
to spend. It is worth the cost. It develops the spiritual life 
of the church, increases the fellowship of its members, culti- 
ates habits of Bible study, arouses interest in missionary 
enterprise, stimulates a spirit of prayer, and enables the 
church to accomplish its great task in the ministry of 
intercession. 

There is no one solution of the problem for all churches or 
for any one church at all times. It demands study, observa- 
tion, experiment, and perseverance. 

a. Serious preparation must be made for this service. This 
includes: (1) The selection of topics and themes and the 
arranging of programs. Plans should be definitely fixed for 
weeks or even for a year in advance. It is well to publish the 
intended program for the season. (2) Announcements 
should be made from the pulpit, but without rebuking the 
congregation for poor attendance. Special features of the 
following meetings should be attractively stated. (3) Letters 
should be sent to members of the congregation, requesting a 
promise of attendance or even of participation in the service. 
(4) Members of the congregation must be taught to lead in 
public prayer. If a pastor will begin with the young men of 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 103 


his church, he will be surprised at what can be accomplished 
by personal and private effort. (5) The preparation of the 
pastor himself for each service is of supreme importance. He 
should be in good physical condition and not exhausted by 
previous work; he should make such mental preparation as 
will be manifest not only in the message but also in the 
selection of hymns and in the arangement of the entire pro- 
gram; above all, he should make spiritual preparation for his 
difficult task. (6) Committees may be useful, if intrusted 
with various features of the service, either in preparing the 
place, of meeting or occasional programs, in extending a wel- 
come to visitors, or in providing special music. (7) The room 
in which the service is held must be light, attractive, properly 
heated and ventilated. 

b. The character of the service should be: 

(1) Social. It should be of the nature of a family gather- 
ing, informal, pervaded by a spirit of friendliness. There 
should be simplicity in dress, in speech, and in prayer. Par- 
ticipation in the service by those in attendance should be 
encouraged. A psalm may be repeated in unison or read 
responsively. Scripture may be memorized, and recited as 
part of the service. Bible references may be read in con- 
nection with the theme assigned. Brief prayers may be 
offered, and The Lord’s Prayer may be introduced. 

(2) Spirited. This characteristic will be secured by 
promptness in beginning the service and in introducing its 
various parts. The leader must be alert and active. Long 
addresses or prayers should be discountenanced. The music 
must be made an attractive feature. A number of singers 
may be grouped about the piano or organ. New hymns may 
be learned and special musical features may be introduced. 

(3) Cheerful. The service, while dignified and serious, 
must be hopeful and inspiring. Strength and courage should 
be given to the worshipers, who are in the midst of the toil 
and strain of the week. 

(4) Purposeful. Even in a meeting which is held specifi- 
cally for prayer, there must be a definite aim. Topics for 


104 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


prayer should be announced and an opportunity given for 
presenting special requests. 

(5) Diversified. Monotony is the cause of the decline of 
most midweek services. While the purposes of praise and 
prayer and devotion are the main objects to be attained, new 
features must be introduced continually, and large variety 
must be offered. Among the following features may be sug- 
gested: (a) The question box. That is, an evening may be 
devoted to answering questions relating to religious experience 
or to church work. These questions, either signed or anony- 
mous, should be sent previously to the pastor by members of 
the congregation. (b) A praise service may be introduced. It 
will consist of hymns, which possibly may have been selected 
by the congregation, in reference to which the pastor may 
make comments and explanations as to the origin or message 
of the hymns and the lives of the composers. An “evening of 
favorite hymns” is always popular. (c) Bible study should 
be a prominent feature of the midweek service. At least one 
meeting a month should be devoted to the review of a selected 
book or passage. Favorite chapters may be selected by vote 
of the congregation. (d) The church organizations may be 
assigned occasional evenings in which to present their work, 
as, for example, the Sunday school, the Christian Endeavor 
society, the Men’s Brotherhood. (e) Various reform move- 
ments and relief organizations may be assigned places on the 
yearly program and presented by forcible speakers. (f) The 
annual meeting of the church may be arranged for a midweek 
service and made peculiarly attractive and interesting. (qg) 
The “preparatory service’ preceding each communion may 
be made the occasion of a largely attended midweek service. 
In some churches it is possible to secure the presence of more 
than half the communicant members at such a service. (h) 
Holidays suggest programs which may be attractive for the 
midweek services preceding, as before Christmas, Easter, or 
New Year’s Day. (7) The “missionary meeting” is the most 
important form of the midweek service. For many years it 
was known as the “missionary concert,” and was a source of 
real strength and power to the church, Whatever the special 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 105 


name, such a service should be held in every church each 
month of the year. Material is ready for the use of every 
pastor. The Mission Boards offer leaflets, lectures, and stere- 
opticon slides, which present forcefully the work of various 
fields. People are also interested in missionary biography, 
in the advance movements of modern missions, and in the 
uccasional review of a missionary book. (j) “Conference 
meetings” offering free discussion of the plans, methods, and 
problems of the church may be arranged. The various sub- 
jects should be considered first by a committee, and usually 
some one should be prepared to open the discussion of each 
problem. (k) Experience meetings may be held occasionally. 
They are helpful to young converts, and sometimes lead others 
to make a public profession of faith. 

A word should be added as to ‘cottage prayer meetings.” 
These may be helpful in leading to better acquaintance among 
the members of the church, and in ministering to the sick, the 
aged, and others who are confined to their homes. They also 
may be a means of reaching those who are outside the church 
fellowship. Such meetings frequently develop into strong out- 
posts in the conduct of church work. 


5. Tue BAPTISMAL SERVICE 


Most churches have adopted books of forms, which give 
to pastors sufficient guidance for a proper administration of 
the sacraments. The following suggestions, however, may 
afford some additional help in the matter of baptisms: 

a. The pastor should study the teachings of Scripture and 
should occasionally instruct his congregation in reference to 
this sacrament. 

b. He should observe the requirements of the laws and usage 
of his own Church. 

c. He should memorize some dignified form to be followed 
in conducting this service. 

d. Usually, baptism is to be administered in the church and 
in the presence of the congregation. The propriety of making 
exceptions to the rule is left to the decision of the pastor. 

e. Baptism is to be administered but once to any person, 


106 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


f. Baptism may be performed only by an ordained minister. 
According to Presbyterian law, for example, if administered 
by a layman, a Unitarian, a deposed or suspended minister, or 
by an impostor, it is not valid; the validity of baptism by a 
Roman Catholic is left to the judgment of the church session. 

g. Unbaptized persons who apply for admission to the 
church, after a satisfactory examination as to their faith and 
character, are to be baptized, usually, in the presence of the 
congregation; and only after baptism are they to be regarded 
as members of the Church. This public baptism and reception 
into Church membership is commonly administered im- 
mediately before the observance of the sacrament of the Lord’s 
Supper. | 

h. Children should be baptized if one of their parents is a 
professing Christian; or they may be presented for baptism 
by guardians or other persons who have undertaken to rear 
them, in case these persons are Christians and are willing to 
assume the obligations taken by parents in the baptismal 
service. 

i. When unbelievers request baptism for their children, it 
should be explained to them that baptism is an ordinance in 
which parents confess their faith in Christ and promise to 
bring up their children as Christians, and therefore can be 
administered as soon as parents are ready publicly to acknowl- 
edge their allegiance to Christ. 

j- In churches where immersion is not required, baptism 
may be administered by pouring or sprinkling water upon 
the person. In such churches it is unwise for pastors to be 
immersed, or to administer immersion personally, lest they 
may seem to discount the validity of other forms of baptism. 

k. The baptismal service consists, first, of brief sentences 
of instruction, given by the pastor, as to the nature of the 
ordinance; second, of assent to appropriate vows and prom- 
ises, either by the parents or by the persons who are profess- 
ing their faith; third, of a brief prayer for the blessing of 
God upon the service. Then the minister, sprinkling water 
upon the head of the person who is being baptized, pronounces 
the given name, saying, “I baptize thee in the name of the 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 107 


Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’”’ This simple 
service is then closed with prayer and benediction. 

1. The pastor must be allowed to determine at how late an 
age children may be baptized as infants, or when they should 
be expected to assume for themselves the vows of professing 
Christians. 

m. In the case of infant baptism, parents should give to the 
pastor the exact name of the child, the date of birth, their own 
full names, and their address. They should be instructed in 
advance as to the meaning of the sacrament, as to the exact 
form of service to be followed, as to the vows which they 
are publicly to take, and as to the exact time and place of 
the ceremony. On their arrival at the church they should be 
met by some officer who will welcome them, conduct them at 
the proper time to the baptismal font, and retire with them 
from the auditorium at the close of the baptismal service. 
The service should be introduced by an appropriate hymn, 
and during the baptism the child may be held by either 
parent or by the officiating minister. 

n. Careful entry of each baptismal service must be made 
both in the private records of the pastor and in the record 
books of the church, and when letters are issued, transferring 
the membership of parents to any other church, these letters 
should contain the names of their baptized children. 


6. Tuer Lorp’s SUPPER 


The frequency with which the sacrament of the Lord’s 
Supper shall be observed is determined usually by each local 
congregation. In some churches there is a weekly observance; 
in no case should it occur less than four or five times a year. 
An occasional evening communion service is very helpful. 

For the instruction of those who are intending to partake of 
this sacrament for the first time, a communicants’ class 
should be conducted by the pastor, once or twice in the course 
of each year. A session of the class should be held each week 
for a period of six weeks, in the fall, and possibly again in 
the spring. This class should be open to all persons, but 
should be especially designed for young Christians and for 


108 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


others who are expecting to become communicant members of 
the Church. Manuals to be used for conducting such classes 
are easily obtained. They include instruction concerning the 
Christian faith and profession, the Church and its sacraments, 
and Christian life and service. 

Persons who are baptized members of the Church, and 
others who desire to unite with the Church on profession of 
their faith, are expected to appear at a meeting of the church 
session, or other church board, to be examined as to their 
knowledge of Christ and their fitness to partake of the 
Lord’s Supper. The questions which they are asked at this 
time, usually by the pastor, should be serious but simple in 
character, and designed only to secure a confession of faith 
in Christ as Lord and Master and of a determination to serve 
him as members of his Church. Persons presenting letters of 
dismissal and commendation from other churches are received 
into the membership of the church at this time by vote of the 
session. 

In many churches elders, or other representatives of the 
church, visit all the homes of the congregation some days 
before the Lord’s Supper is to be observed, and distribute com- 
municants’ cards which are to be signed and left in the 
church at the time of the communion service. This enables 
the pastor to note the absentees and to learn of special cases 
needing pastoral care and oversight. 

Immediately before the communion, a church customarily 
holds a preparatory service, usually on some evening during 
the week, which all communicants are expected to attend, 
although attendance must not be required. An address is 
delivered by the pastor with the purpose of fixing the thoughts 
of the people upon the character of the sacrament and upon 
the right state of heart and mind for its proper observance. 

At the service when the sacrament is to be observed, it is 
well for the pastor to preach a communion sermon. ‘This 
is frequently omitted lest the service may be too long. It is 
rather better to shorten all the usual parts of the service, but 
to include at least a brief message which may impress upon 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES ~ 109 


the worshipers the privileges and possibilities of a rightful 
participation in the sacrament. 

After the sermon it is customary to extend a welcome to 
such persons as for the first time are to partake of the sacra- 
ment or have recently been admitted into the membership 
of the church. 

An invitation to partake of the communion should be 
extended by the pastor to all members of sister Churches 
who love the Lord in ‘sincerity, but such an invitation should 
not be interpreted to include those who have not previously 
confessed their faith in Christ. 

After the singing of a hymn, during which persons who do 
not desire to participate in the sacrament may be given an 
opportunity to retire, the pastor, taking his place at the 
communion table, reads the words of institution, from I Cor. 
11:23-27. This is followed by a prayer of consecration, in 
which the worshipers recognize their personal unworthiness, 
thank God for his redeeming love in Christ Jesus, profess a 
trust in his atoning death, ask that the elements of bread and 
wine may be consecrated to a sacred use, and dedicate them- 
selves anew to the service of God. 

The pastor hands the bread and the wine to the elders, or 
other representatives of the congregation, who distribute these 
elements to the worshipers. The service closes with a prayer 
of thanksgiving, a hymn, and a benediction. 

In many churches, before the closing hymn, an offering is 
taken for the relief of the poor. 

The entire service must be conducted with dignity and 
solemnity, and with a feeling of tender emotion, yet also in 
a spirit of confidence, cheerfulness, and hope. Each detail of 
the service must be arranged in advance. All haste and con- 
fusion must be avoided, and every effort must be made to fix 
the thought upon the presence, grace, and power of the living 
Christ. 


7. THe MARRIAGE SERVICE 


Every minister who expects to conduct a wedding ceremony 
should acquaint himself with the laws of the state, the rules 


110 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


of his Church, and the accepted customs of the community in 
the matter of marriages. When requested to perform such 
a ceremony, he should arrange for a conference with the 
prospective bride and groom. There should result a definite 
understanding as to the time, the place, and the character 
of the wedding, the plans for the rehearsal, and the form of 
ceremony to be used. A minister may show the similarity of 
the more familiar wedding services, and prove, at least to his 
own satisfaction, that the form adopted by his own Church 
is the most dignified and beautiful of all; but any form may 
be altered, and a bride must be allowed some latitude of 
choice in this regard. If, on principle and by studied prefer- 
ence, the word “obey” is not to be used in the ceremony, the 
bride may be interested in learning that she then consistently 
should wear no veil, as the latter is the symbol of that loving 
submission which involves no hardship but assures the unity 
of a Christian home. The minister must ascertain the exact 
given names the contracting parties wish to have used in the 
service. 

It is wise to discourage the marriage of a Christian with 
an unbeliever, and to refuse to marry a divorced person or 
minors who have not the consent of their parents, or to per- 
form secret marriages. A wedding ceremony may be per- 
formed on Sunday, but the practice should not be encouraged. 
A minister should offer to secure the use of the church, if it 
is desired; also he should learn the kind of certificate the con- 
tracting parties prefer, and whether he is to be responsible 
for publishing the announcement of the wedding. 

The rehearsal is frequently directed by the bride, who then 
allows some one else to take her place at the time; otherwise, 
the minister is expected to give the necessary directions. For 
the processional, the “Lohengrin” wedding march may be 
played. As the party moves down the aisle, the ushers lead, 
walking two by two, arranged in the order of their height, the 
shortest coming first. Next come the bridesmaids, similarly 
arranged. The maid, or matron, of honor follows; flower 
girls, if there are any, come next, and last of all the bride, or 
her understudy, leaning on the right arm of her father, brother, 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 111 


or near male relative. As the ushers reach the minister who, 
with the groom and the best man, has appeared from a side 
entrance and stands in front of the pulpit, they divide and 
take their positions on the right and left, far enough away to 
leave room for the bridesmaids, who also divide, half on each 
side, and stand in front of the ushers. The groom takes one 
or two steps forward to meet the bride who slips her left: hand 
from the arm of her father and gives her right hand to the 
groom, as together they take their place before the minister. 
When all the party has been properly arranged, and their 
positions carefully noted, the Mendelssohn wedding march 
may be played as a recessional. The bride and groom go 
first, the bride taking the right arm of the groom; then 
follows the maid of honor, and then the bridesmaids and the 
ushers, in the order in which they entered. The best man 
usually retires with the clergyman. 

Some such rehearsal should be planned either for a church 
or for a home wedding; the order is practically the same. In 
the latter case the bridal party will be much smaller; but 
under no conditions should there be any levity or undue waste 
of time. 

On the occasion of the ceremony, in a church wedding, the 
front pews on the left, as one faces the pulpit, are reserved for 
the relatives of the bride, and those on the right for the 
relatives of the groom. Before the ceremony the persons last 
seated are the parents of the contracting parties. Of these 
the mother of the groom is escorted to the front pew on the 
right, by the head usher; he returns to the door and escorts 
the mother of the bride to the front pew on the left, and when 
on his return he reaches the door of the church, the wedding 
march should begin. At this time the congregation should 
rise and remain standing during the service. 

When the members of the wedding party have moved down 
the aisle to their places, the minister should begin the cere- 
mony, reading the service slowly and distinctly with suffi- 
cient voice to be heard in all parts of the church. As that 
part of the ceremony which concerns the ring is reached, in 
order that the ring may not be dropped, the best man places 


112 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


it in the open palm of the groom; the bride takes it in her 
fingers and places it in the open palm of the minister, then 
the groom takes it in his fingers and slips it upon the finger 
of the bride. 

It is customary for the bride and groom to kneel for the 
benediction. The congregation should remain in their places 
until the wedding party, and also the relatives of the bride and 
groom, have left the church. 

As soon as convenient after the ceremony, the minister 
should sign a marriage certificate and present it to the newly 
married couple. 

Any fees for the organist or sexton or use of the church 
should be paid by the family of the bride. The groom should 
give a fee to the minister. This is usually handed him by the 
best man; it should be not less than ten dollars; often it is, 
but a modern book of etiquette makes the thrilling statement 
that “it may be a ten-dollar gold piece, or one or two new 
one hundred dollar bills.” 

The minister must send to the civil authorities such im- 
mediate report of the marriage as the law demands, and make 
accurate entries both in the books of the church and in his 
own private records. 


8. Tuer BurRIAL SERVICE 


In the conduct of a burial or funeral service a pastor can 
be a true minister of consolation and comfort. On the other 
hand, by any thoughtlessness, awkwardness, or blunder at 
such a time he may occasion the keenest distress. There- 
fore, in anticipation of such a service, one should acquaint 
himself with the customs which obtain in the community; he 
must also learn in any particular case the exact desires of the 
family or relatives as to whether the service is to be at the 
house or in the church, as to what other ministers, if any, are 
to be invited to participate in the service, and if so, as to 
what parts it is desired that they should take, and further as 
to the music or hymns or other special features. He then 
thoughtfully should plan all the parts of the service. These 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 113 


parts usually follow in this order: Prayer, hymn, Scripture, 
address, prayer, hymn, benediction. 

If the funeral ceremony is to be in a church, the pastor 
commonly first goes to the house and conducts with the family 
a brief private service of Scripture reading and prayer. At 
the church the funeral procession forms in the vestibule. The 
minister leads, and directly after him come the honorary 
pallbearers, if such have been appointed; they walk two by 
two, preceding the casket, after which follow members. of 
the family and the most intimate friends. As the minister 
moves down the aisle, he repeats appropriate sentences of 
Scripture slowly and distinctly until the casket is placed on 
the stands in front of the pulpit. The honorary pallbearers 
take seats in the front pews on the left; the family are seated 
in the front pews on the right; the rest of the procession fill 
vacant places behind either the pallbearers or the family, 
while the actual bearers of the casket walk around to incon- 
spicuous places on a side aisle. During this time the organ 
is played softly and the congregation remains standing. 

After a brief invocation, a hymn may be sung by the choir, 
or may be read by the pastor. 

The Scripture passages which then follow should have been 
chosen both to comfort and to instruct. They should be read 
intelligently and impressively. Among the many which bring 
consolation and solace are the following: Psalms 28; 46; 91; 
103; John; ch. 14; Rom., ch. 8; I Cor., ch. 15; IT Cor, 5: 1-10; 
I Thess. 4:18-18; Rev. 7:9-17; chs. 21; 22. From these and 
similar portions of Scripture an appropriate selection of brief 
passages may be made. 

When an address is delivered, it commonly follows the 
Scripture lesson. However, except in a few localities, funeral 
addresses are becoming obsolete. If required, they should be 
brief and tender, free from fulsome eulogy, with little mention 
of the dead, and containing messages for the guidance and 
cheer of the living. 

The nature of the prayer is a matter of very great im- 
portance. It should not be designed to stir the emotions, but 
to inspire quietness and peace of mind. It should express 


114 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


gratitude for the truth revealed in Christ and for the hope of 
immortality, confession of conscious unworthiness, petitions 
for the bereaved, and intercession for the sorrowing circle of 
acquaintances and friends. A widow or parents or children 
may be specified in the prayer, but no attempt should be 
made to designate all the relatives. The Lord’s Prayer may 
be used in closing. After» a hymn, the benediction is 
pronounced. 

When the service has been concluded, the procession moves 
out in the same order that it entered and, until it has left the 
church, the congregation remains standing and the organ is 
played softly. As he reaches the hearse, the pastor stands 
with bared head until the casket has been deposited, and then 
he enters a conveyance which is waiting before the hearse. 

If the funeral is in a private house, the same order of 
service should be followed. At such a service, however, there 
are usually no honorary pallbearers, and the family and most 
intimate friends are seated in a room where they may be 
secluded from others who are attending but where they may 
be able easily to hear the voice of the officiating minister. 

At the place of burial the pastor walks before the casket 
to the grave, and standing at its head, after the casket has 
been lowered, he conducts a brief service, consisting of Scrip- 
ture passages, the sentences of “committal,” prayer, and bene- 
diction. While the minister is uttering the words “earth to 
earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” it is usual for the funeral 
director to drop into the grave a handful of earth, or better 
still, a few flowers. At present it is customary for only the 
immediate family, with possibly the most intimate friends, to 
attend the service at the grave. However, if fraternal soci- 
eties or other organizations, having their own chaplains and 
rituals, are given a place in the funeral obsequies, it is com- 
monly agreeable for them to conduct the ceremonies at the 
grave, in which case the pastor completes his service at the 
church or at the house. 

Sunday burial services are to be discouraged, and all osten- 
tation and needless expense. A pastor need not refuse to 
officiate at a cremation, if given sufficient liberty as to the 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES 115 


character of the religious service. He may accept a fee for 
conducting any funeral service, if offered by persons of more 
than very moderate means, but he should expect no recom- 
pense other than the knowledge of having ministered help- 
fully to sorrowing hearts. 


9. EVANGELISTIC SERVICES 


The aim in an evangelistic service is not only to preach the 
gospel but also so to preach it as to lead to definite decisions 
for Christ and public confession of faith in him. This aim 
may be in the mind of a minister as he prepares and delivers 
many of his sermons during any year; yet it is well to appoint 
special seasons, when, during a period of successive days, the 
specific evangelistic appeal may be presented and repeated to 
the largest possible circle of persons who are not connected 
with the Church. 

The leader in such services may be an accredited evangelist, 
under whose direction several churches in one community may 
be united, or, services may be conducted in the church by 
the pastor, or by some fellow minister whom he has invited. 

The success of such services depends in large measure upon 
the preparation which is made for them. This should cover 
a period of several weeks. The chief feature of such prepara- 
tion should be earnest and united prayer, not only at the reg- 
ular times of church worship, but also at special meetings held 
in homes in various parts of the parish. 

The cooperation of the whole church must be secured, and 
the Sunday school, the Young People’s society, and the other 
church organizations must all be united in a common effort. 
Committees must be appointed on Publicity, on Music, on 
Ushering, on Prayer Meetings, and on Personal Work. 

The music must be bright, popular, and stimulating. Solos 
or other special selections must be spiritual, brief, tender, 
appealing. A chorus choir will be a great asset; it may be 
composed of volunteers from the congregation, and may be 
very efficient under the guidance of an inspiring leader. 

The sermons must be addressed to the mind and the heart 
and the will. They must contain enough of real gospel truth 


116 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


to make plain the way of salvation through Christ. They 
must be characterized by enough of pathos and humor and 
passion and human interest to touch the emotions and to 
reach the heart; but supremely they must move the will and 
secure a true surrender to Christ and a dedication to his 
service. 

An opportunity for expressing such decisions should be 
given. For this a definite method must be employed which 
is adapted to the particular congregation. Sometimes it is 
announced that the session, or officers of the church, will meet, 
at the close of the service, any who desire to confess their 
faith in Christ. At other times the address closes with an 
appeal and an invitation to all who have determined to begin 
a Christian life to come forward. Again, an after meeting is 
held for those interested, either by urging them to remain 
after the congregation has been dismissed or by inviting them 
to pass into an inquiry room, while the congregation is still 
singing. Again, some decisions are expressed by raising the 
hand, or coming to the front of the church, or signing a 
decision card. Personal workers should be stationed in the 
congregation, ready to give help to any who may so desire. 
They should be courteous and not overzealous. 

The after meeting should be brief and informal, but in- 
tensely serious. Christians may be asked to rise, and to 
testify one by one as to some real benefits they have received 
from Christ. Others may be asked to state what difficulties 
they overcame in accepting Christ; others, what influences 
led to their decision. The leader may ask also that those who 
believe in prayer may state what results they have noted as 
answers to specific requests. An opportunity then may be 
given to those who desire to accept Christ to rise and possibly 
to come forward. To them should be carefully explained 
what is meant by following Christ, or what is included in 
a confession of faith. They may be asked to recite after the 
leader a specific prayer of conviction and consecration. Their 
names and addresses should be secured and given to selected 
workers who should call on them at the earliest opportunity 
and offer to be of any possible service. 


RELIGIOUS SERVICES Lt 


Iivery convert must be induced to unite with the Church 
publicly at an early date, and must be enlisted in the life 
and activities of the Church. Such conserving of results is 
difficult, but it is an absolutely necessary effort in connection 
with all evangelistic services. 


10. SERVICES OF THE CHURCH YEAR 


In the natural recoil from the burdensome observance of 
multiplied fast days, feast days, and saints’ days, many 
Protestant Churches have lost certain rich benefits which may 
result from a wisely arranged Church year. More recently 
many special Sundays of a mixed and somewhat meaningless 
character have been selected for annual observance. While no 
one need feel bound by any special anniversary, there is much 
of inspiration and of instruction to be gained by uniting with 
ereat bodies of Christians in calling to mind each year some 
of the cardinal truths of our common faith. Christianity is 
a historical religion and the Church year properly commem- 
orates definite events in the life of our Lord. From among 
the anniversaries which are most familiar, a pastor of the 
present day may wish to select at least the following: 


a. Christmas is almost universally observed, and the great 
mystery of the incarnation is thus proclaimed to the world 
by this joyous festival of the birth of Christ. 

b. “Family Sunday,’ commemorating the presentation of 
Jesus in the Temple by Joseph and Mary, is regaining some- 
thing of its ancient prominence, and the first Sunday of 
February is becoming a day when united families appear in 
the house of God for reconsecration and dedication. 

c. Passion Week and Easter are held sacred by thousands 
in all lands; and surely Christians then do well to unite in 
bearing testimony to the atoning death and glorious resurrec- 
tion of their living and divine Lord. 

d. Ascension Day might properly be given a more widely 
recognized place in the Church calendar, and thus might 
attest the fact that to the ascended Christ has been given “all 
power in heaven and on earth.” 


118 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


e. The wider observance of Pentecost or “Whitsunday”’ 
might lead to a truer understanding of the person and work of 
the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier and Comforter; by magnifying 
his office there might result what the Church year always 
tends to foster, namely, “the unity of the faith, and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God.” 


CHAPTER VI 
THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 


1. THe RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND 
EVANGELISM 


A rather confusing usage of terms has developed in the field 
where education and evangelism work together. The phrase 
“religious education” has acquired a technical sense which 
does not imply any prejudice as to the distinctively Chris- 
tian character of the education which is meant. In this tech- 
nical sense, religious education has to do with persons so long 
as they remain in the environment of the home, the home 
church, and the home community. Evangelical churches have 
Boards or departments of religious education with supervisory 
responsibilities in this field. The customary title of the 
pastor’s associate who is charged with the immediate super- 
vision of the educational work of an individual church is 
“director of religious education.” The phrase “Christian edu- 
cation” has been more or less preémpted for the institutional 
field—that is, the field of the Christian college and other insti- 
tutions under Church control. This technical usage of the 
terms “religious education” and “Christian education” is 
widely understood, but the definition is not entirely 
satisfactory. 

It is difficult to free the phrase “religious education” from the 
idea that it implies an education which is religious in the 
generic sense only. Christianity is indeed a religion, but it 
is a specific religion. To those who regard Christianity as the 
religion of redemption through the grace of God in Jesus 
Christ, the use of the term “religious education” to describe the 
educational work of the Church in the home, the home church, 

119 


120 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


and the home community, is evasive if not misleading. The 
phrase has too much the flavor of naturalism. It does not 
directly imply revelation or regeneration, or any immediate 
work of God in the soul. 

Moreover, the use of the phrase with these possible natural- 
istic implications raises a false and harmful contrast between 
education and evangelism. Evangelism has distinct super- 
natural implications which the meaning and history of the 
word demand and which are carried to the ordinary Christian 
mind. The word “education” has no such necessary implica- 
tions. When it is joined with a generic adjective, such as 
“religious,” the allowable inference is that a purely natural 
process is meant. Evangelism and education are then in irre- 
concilable conflict. 

But there is no necessary contradiction between evangelism 
and religious education. The terms may be correlative. They 
become correlative when education is defined in terms of 
supernatural Christianity. Let us say Christian education, 
instead of religious education, and have done with suspicion. 
The meanings of evangelism and education merge; we have 
an educational evangelism or an evangelistic education. Or 
to put the matter still more compactly, we have just Christian 
education. 

In Christian education, to paraphrase a well-known saying, 
we must pray as though everything depended on God, and 
educate as if everything depended on us. Like good 
husbandmen, we must use all our resources of intelligence 
and industry to insure good crops, at the same time recogniz- 
ing that it is God and God alone who can give the increase. 
In this chapter we are dealing with Christian education in 
the home, in the home church, and in the home community— 
that is, with Christian education in the field where the pastor 
is the teacher and the head of a teaching institution. 


2. Tue MISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 


The Christian Church as a social organism realizes itself 
in so many ways in the life of society that it may seem diffi- 
cult to define its mission in a way which shall be at once 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 121 


sharp enough and broad enough. But there is one way of 
defining the mission of the Church which roughly meets all 
conditions. It is a way which we learn from the lips of the 
Founder himself. The mission of the Christian Church is 
to teach Christianity to all men everywhere, or, to phrase 
it more nearly to the original, to make disciples of all men 
everywhere. The first disciples were commissioned to make 
all men everywhere disciples of Jesus in the same full sense 
in which they were his disciples. If we use the word “teach” 
in its broadest and noblest meaning, we have a convenient 
word to describe the mission of the Church. It is a teaching 
mission in all that teaching can imply not only of formal 
instruction but also of personal association. To teach, and 
yet to teach, by every possible means and in every possible 
way to teach Christianity to all mankind, is the mission of 
the Christian Church. The Church is a teaching institution 
by way of eminence. All other functions or missions of the 
Christian Church are subsidiary and contributory to this 
supreme function and mission. A Church which no longer 
teaches no longer lives. 


3. THe OpporTUNITY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 


The teaching opportunity of the Christian Church is coex- 
tensive with mankind. It must not be delimited in any way. 
Every class and condition of mankind offers an opportunity 
which can be neglected only at the Church’s peril. Christian 
education, using the word in its broadest sense, despairs of 
no class or condition, of no age. Psychology and faith agree 
in holding that mature men and women live far below their 
capacities. It is the function of Christian education, on the 
human side, to seek to release the buried energies of the soul 
and to raise the life of the oldest and most habituated to 
higher levels. 

But there is a class and a condition of mankind which cry 
aloud for Christian education. This class and condition offer 
the Church its supreme opportunity. This class and condi- 
tion, in the very nature of the case, must be educated. 
Whether that education will be Christian or not depends 


122 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


directly on the Christian Church. In no country has the 
Christian Church a greater responsibility than in the United 
States of America, as will be shown later on. This class and 
condition is the class of the young who are in the condition of 
teachableness. There is no need to labor a point so impos- 
sible to deny, but there is great need to sharpen it and drive 
it home to the conscience of the Christian Church. The young 
are teachable. They are born disciples. They will learn. 
Nothing can stop them from learning. Whose disciples they 
will become depends on the Christian Church. What they 
will learn depends upon their teachers. 


4. WHEN CHRISTIAN EpucaTion Is Most EFFECTIVE 


New confirmation of the fact that the teaching of the youth 
is the Church’s supreme opportunity flows in from every side. 
For instance, there is confirmation from a side where evan- 
gelism and education merge, a confirmation from the age of 
joining the Church in five Protestant denominations. These 
results were secured by Dr. Walter 8. Athearn in codpera- 
tion with the denominational Boards responsible for Sunday- 
school work in these denominations. 

The age of joining the Church of 6,194 persons in 43 states 
for a given calendar year was studied. According to Dr. 
Athearn, the median age of joining Church of the 6.194 persons 
studied was 14 years, 4 months, and 22 days. The distribu- 
tion of median ages of joining Church by denominations is as 
follows: 


Methodist Episcopal ....11 years, 9 months, 4 days 
Congregational .......... TO aot st LO Sires 
Presbyterians Giese Ley iO inna Ah aoe 
Baptiste. ecu ees De te ass eee eel 
Disciplessig ee ae ee 14 ie ike oe, () Cetat ental 


The median is not an average age secured by adding all 
ages and dividing the sum by the number of cases in the 
series. It is a middle point secured by standing all the per- 
sons in line in order of their ages and selecting the point 
midway between the beginning and the ending of the series. 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 123 


There are, therefore, as many persons below the median age 
as there are above it. 

It is significant that the mode or period of greatest fre- 
quency falls within a short age range, and that the peak or 
year at which the largest number of persons join Church, 
varies but slightly in the denominations studied. The fol- 
lowing shows the age range of greatest frequency and the 
peak, or age, at which the greatest number of persons join 
Church: 


Methodist One 9-14 years inclusive ; peak at 10-11 yrs. 


Congregational ....12-15 : ‘ 13-14 

Presbyterian ....... 127 14a pee eS oe BL Id ee 
DAD UISURE Ly ernst s 10-13. se ae a B es Pt 
BPSCI LOS eh ec, oe SEM (oh Orme wes al Le 


All denominations ..10-14 “ seme (= | Aces 


It will be noted from the above table (a detailed table not 
quoted here, giving the exact age of joining Church of the 
6,194 persons studied) that one fourth of the persons joining 
Church were under the age of 11 years, 10 months, and 22 
days. “One fourth joined the Church after they were 21 
years, 4 months, and 22 days old. One half or 50 per cent 
of the Church accessions were people between the ages of 11 
years, 10 months, and 22 days, and 21 years, 4 months, and 
21 days—an age range of 9 years and 6 months. 

“The fact that 75 per cent of the Church members are 
received before the age of 21 years, 4 months, and 21 days, 
justifies the startling statement that the chances are three to 
one that the person who has not joined Church by the time 
he or she reaches the legal age of 21 years will never join a 
church.” 

These conclusions need no further comment. They fall in 
with all known experience. They are eloquent witnesses at 
one particular point of the general conclusion which admits 
of no denial—the supreme opportunity of the Christian 
Church to exercise her supreme mission is in the Christian 
education of the young while they are still in the environ- 
ment of the home, the home church, and the home community. 


124 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


By every dictate of prudence and missionary strategy, the 
Christian Church ought to mass her resources of intelligence, 
money, and zeal on her providential opportunity. But this 
is not the policy of the Christian Church in the United States 
of America to-day. 


a. A submerged point of view. The point of view which 
has been developed above will be admitted as logically sound 
by every intelligent Christian. But it is a practically sub- 
merged point of view. It is a point of view which is strug- 
gling upward into the consciousness of the Church. But it 
is still submerged in the rushing tide of the Church’s adult 
interests. Neither the national policy of any Protestant, 
denomination nor the parish policy of any considerable pro- 
portion of the Protestant churches of the United States is 
dominated by this point of view. In the last analysis both the 
national and the parish policies of the Protestant Churches 
are determined by the pastors. As a preliminary to the dis- 
cussion in this chapter of a parish program of Christian 
education, from the pastor’s point of view, it seems in place 
not only to state a point of view but also to show how it has 
been and is a point of view which is not now fully effective in 
Church policy and program. 


b. An unreached mass. It is a well-attested fact that 
there are in the United States to-day 12,000,000 Protestant 
or nominally Protestant children of school age, that is, be- 
tween six and eighteen, who are receiving no organized Chris- 
tian instruction at all. They are not even enrolled in a 
Sunday school. | 

Dr. Henry F. Cope, in his “Week Day Church School,” 
makes the following statement: “After investigations and 
studies covering every section of the United States and every 
type of community, and extending over nearly twenty years, 
two conclusions [one of them is reserved for the next para- 
graph] are reached: 

“1. That the present systems of religious instruction in 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 125 


Protestant Churches reach in any effective manner whatsoever 
not more than one fourth of their children.” 

Three out of every four Protestant children are without 
religious instruction. Reaching this unreached mass is not 
a major emphasis in any Protestant denomination in America. 


c. Inadequate provision for the favored few. Dr. Cope 
draws a second conclusion as the result of his years of 
observation: 

“2. That the present systems of religious instruction in 
Protestant Churches afford a continuous and effective system 
of religious education to much less than one tenth of their 
children. 

“In summary the matter stands: 

“Only one fourth of our children get as much as thirty-five 
periods of less than thirty minutes each annually, of religious 
instruction.” 

(1) Apply the test of time devoted to the Christian educa- 
tion of the young, and it appears how deeply the point of view 
upon which we have been insisting has been sunk beneath 
other interests in the policy of the Christian Church. 

(2) Apply the test of budget. A church will spend money 
on what it regards as its major objective. Volume I of the 
Indiana Survey of Religious Education, by Dr. Walter S. 
Athearn, reveals certain facts about the budget situation in 
the Protestant churches of the American commonwealth se- 
lected for the survey, which are certainly typical of the situa- 
tion throughout the country. Let two facts be isolated as 
representative: 

(a) “For every dollar which the churches expended out of 
their treasuries for the support of church schools, the church 
schools put eleven dollars back into the church treasuries” 
for the support of the churches. The State could scarcely 
support a system of public schools on that financial basis. 

(b) “Forty-seven cents out of every municipal dollar goes 
for the support of public schools; but only two and three 
tenths cents out of every church dollar goes for the support of 
the church schools.” When the vital character of the service 


126 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


which the public schools render to the democracy is taken into 
account, it may well be that more than forty-seven cents of 
every municipal dollar ought to be put into them. But of 
what value to the State is education without religion? The 
Christian Church in America does not spend substantial sums 
of money on the greatest service it can render to the democ- 
racy, which is at the same time its own greatest opportunity 
and obligation. 

(3) Apply the test of church buildings and equipment. If 
a Church regards the Christian education of the children and 
youth as its major objective, it will build and equip its church 
buildings with the attainment of that objective clearly in 
view. But everyone knows that Protestant church buildings 
in America—take it by and large—are built and equipped for 
giving audience to a liturgy or a sermon on Sundays. They 
are not built and equipped for the Christian education of the 
young. 

(4) Apply the test of a trained leadership. But after all, 
buildings and equipment and budget are not final tests. The 
final test of any educational program is the quality of its 
leadership. It cannot be said that teacher-training is a con- 
siderable element in the present program of the Christian 
Church in America. The contention that no specific training 
is necessary in order to equip the teacher of arithmetic, or 
history, or agriculture would meet with general scorn. But 
specific preparation to teach Christianity to the young, at the 
point of the Church’s supreme mission, is commonly waved 
aside-as a counsel of perfection. Given good intentions, what 
more is necessary? 

Again, selected items from the Indiana Survey will be 
illuminating: | 

(a) “Sunday-school teachers are recruited from children and 
adults. Public-school teachers from middle and later adoles- 
cents. The church school neglects the young men and women 
at the very time that they are making their vocational 
choices.” 

(b) “The motives that led the Indiana Sunday-school teach- 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 127 


ers to accept service in the church school are fundamental and 
worthy of highest praise.” 

(c) “The professional training of the Indiana Sunday-school 
teachers is almost negligible. The rank and file of Sunday- 
school teachers have had no courses in the Bible, religion, or 
religious education in any institution of higher learning.” 

(d) “The church colleges of Indiana have made little con- 
tribution to the training of the Sunday-school teachers of 
the state. They have established special departments for the 
training of public-school teachers; but they have given little 
attention to the task of preparing teachers for the church 
schools of Indiana.” 

The leading denominational colleges of Indiana devote 
“more that thirteen times as much energy to the preparation 
of teachers for the state as they do to the preparation of 
teachers for the church.” 

Or, to face the situation from another angle, it may be said 
that one of the leading denominations reports only about one 
Sunday-school teacher in any kind of regular training for 
each of its Sunday schools. 

These somewhat superficial tests make it all too apparent 
that it is no exaggeration to say that the Christian education 
of the children and youth is not poignantly in the conscious- 
ness of the Protestant Church in America as at once its 
supreme responsibility and opportunity. 


5. Tue SECULARIZATION OF EDUCATION IN AMERICA 


Such facts as these need explanation. This condition is not 
directly chargeable to intentional or even conscious neglect on 
the part of the Church. The present situation is the result, 
at least in a measure, of a condition which has slowly devel- 
oped and of which the Church has never been fully aware. 
To put the crux of the matter: The Christian Church in 
America does not realize that the entire responsibility for 
the Christian education of the children and youth rests upon 
it. It is so, but it was not always so. 

In this country the principle of the separation of Church 
and State operated slowly. In the early colonial days all 


128 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


education was primarily Christian. The purpose lying back 
of the foundation of all schools from the elementary schools 
to the colleges was just to provide a Christian education. In 
a sense the responsibility for Christian education was shared 
by the Church and the State. But gradually the principle 
of the separation of Church and State, so necessary to the 
preservation of religious liberty in a democracy, began to 
work. The population greatly increased in numbers and in 
cultural and religious diversity. Christianity faded out of the 
elementary schools as these schools became directly controlled 
by the religiously neutral State. The Church adopted the 
Sunday school as its separate school of religious instruction, 
but did not see how inadequate a provision the Sunday school 
could make for Christian education, when Christianity was 
excluded from the public schools, as compared with the tre- 
mendously increasing efficiency of the public schools. The 
custom of reading the Bible in the public schools—required 
in some states, allowed in others, and forbidden in still others 
—is a survival of the time when all elementary education was 
Christian, and has contributed to the deception of the Church 
into thinking that public education in a democracy can be 
specifically Christian. 

The bare fact of the matter is that public schools, sup- 
ported by general tax levies, cannot give a Christian educa- 
tion. This is not to say that the public-school system can be 
allowed to be antireligious or irreligious. It is only to say 
that the public-school system cannot be specifically Christian. 
There are moral and religious elements in the curriculums of 
the public schools which ought to be thrown into greater 
prominence than they are at present. But no allowable devel- 
opment of these moral and religious values will even approxi- 
mate a Christian education. Christianity has been forced out 
of the public schools. They do not and they cannot give a 
Christian education. The Church must face the tremendous 
task of providing a system by which Christianity will be 
taught to the rising generation. 

The exclusion of Christianity from the elementary schools 
has been slowly paralleled by developments in the field of 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 129 


secondary and higher education. Secondary schools, such as 
academies established and maintained by the Church to give 
a Christian education, have been and are being slowly forced 
out of existence by the astonishing growth of the high schools. 
The competition of State colleges and universities has had the 
tendency either to force Christian colleges to the wall or to 
lead them into such an approximation of the spirit and method 
of the tax-supported institutions as to render them incapable 
of serving the Church in the way intended by the founders. 

Compare the provision made by the State for the secular 
education of children, say from six to eighteen, in respect to 
the time devoted to it, the budget which supports it, the 
buildings and equipment maintained for it, the leadership 
trained for it, with the provision made by the Church for the 
Christian education of the same children. Is secular educa- 
tion so much more important than Christian education? Is 
it of so little consequence, to look at the matter from only one 
acute angle, that Christianity should be so overshadowed in 
the mind of the child by the immense provision made for its 
secular education? 


6. THe RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTOR FOR CHRISTIAN 
EDUCATION 


Upon the Christian Church falls the entire responsibility 
for the Christian education of the children and youth. It 
may and it ought to seek the codperation of the State, but its 
own responsibility is direct and inescapable. If there is any 
crucial question before the Christian Church in America 
to-day, it is the question whether the rising generation shall 
be taught Christianity. 

The Christian Church is composed of Christian churches. 
Every Christian church is a teaching institution, and the 
pastor is the head of it. Upon him falls the heavy respon- 
sibility and the incomparable privilege of developing and 
maintaining an adequate educational policy of the church of 
which he is the head. He may delegate an administrative 
share of his responsibility to an associate, such as a director 
of religious education. He may share the general respon- 


130 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


sibility with the governing board of his church. But the 
vital responsibility remains his. If Christian education 
holds the key to the civilization of the future, the pastor must 
take the key into his own hands and insert it into the lock 
before the lock rusts. 

This responsibility of the pastor may be conveniently 
divided into three major parts which correspond to the three 
major ways in which the Church can and does give a Chris- 
tian education to children and youth. 


a. The pastor’s responsibility for Christian education in 
the family. The Church gives a Christian education to chil- 
dren and youth by stimulating the Christian life of the small, 
compact social groups into which the children are born, which 
have entire control of the children for the early and fateful 
years of their lives, and of the social life in which the founda- 
tion of their education is inevitably laid. The Christian 
Church is composed not so much of individuals as of “believ- 
ers with their children’”—that is, of Christian families. These 
Christian families are the most powerful of all social groups 
for educational ends. The Church, therefore, discharges one 
of its major educational functions when, in every possible 
way, it encourages a genuinely Christian family life. Neglect 
here cannot be repaired by attention later on. 

The policy of a church toward the family will be largely 
shaped by the pastor. There are many ways in which he can 
lead the church toward a proper evaluation of the Christian 
family in the education of the children and youth, and use 
the church to deepen that life. 

(1) The pulpit ministry and its relation to Christian family 
life. The pastor is never more a teacher than when he stands 
in the pulpit, and, in an atmosphere of worship, unfolds the 
Christian message to his people. In two important respects 
the teaching ministry of the pastor is related to the Christian 
family. 

In the first place, the pastor in his teaching ministry ought 
never to lose sight of the fact that he is teaching, not isolated 
individuals, but members of social groups, preéminently of 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 131 


families. The Christian doctrines he expounds are to issue 
in a life which is social and which is primarily lived in the 
family. The Christian virtues which he enjoins, if they are 
practiced at all, must be practiced in the family. In short, 
the pastor ought always to be alive to the fact that he is 
preaching to individuals in family relationships. These rela- 
tionships are the most important of all human relationships, 
and Christian preaching must keep them steadily in view, 
illumine them, and motivate them. This element in the pulpit 
ministry of the pastor will be a pervasive spirit, incidental to 
the specific themes of the sermons. 

But in addition to this pervasive spirit in all the pastor’s 
pulpit teaching, there is a distinct place for direct instruction 
concerning the nature of the Christian family, and in particu- 
lar concerning the Christian family as an association of 
children with mature Christians for educational ends. Every 
preacher, after his own genius and manner, ought to pour 
into the main stream of his pulpit teaching, as an integral and 
indispensable part of it, instruction about Christian marriage 
and the Christian home in all its manifold relationships, and 
motivation for the creation of a genuinely Christian family 
life. Certainly no generation ought to be allowed to grow up in 
a Christian church without being well instructed in all that a 
Christian family life involves. The whole theme palpitates 
with life; the Bible is full of it. 

(2) The pastoral ministry and its relation to Christian 
family life. The old practice of catechizing the children on 
the occasion of pastoral visitation seems to have gone. The 
motive which prompted it ought not to perish. Surely there 
is a middle ground between the formal—and often formid- 
able—pastoral visit with catechizing and family prayer, and 
the social visit which has no religious purpose and only a 
negative religious result. When put on a spiritual plane, pas- 
toral calls afford a unique opportunity to follow up the pulpit 
teaching concerning the Christian family. 

There are special occasions in the life of the family which 
offer a special opportunity to the pastor in this regard: the 


132 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


time of marriage, the time of the birth of a child, the time 
of the baptism of a child, the time of a child’s decision for 
Christ. 

The relationship of the pastor to Christian marriage ought 
not to be purely ceremonial and formal, but spiritual and 
dynamic. An informal interview with the contracting parties 
before the ceremony, a few tactful words and a prayer, a 
book on the nature of Christian marriage, or the maintenance 
of the family altar, may profoundly influence the life of the 
family about to be established. 

When a child is born into a family, its evident physical 
and spiritual helplessness offers an opportunity for pastoral 
counsel and prayer and the presentation of pamphlets and 
books which will enable the parents to begin the Christian 
education of the child at the beginning. Some churches main- 
tain circulating libraries of books for this very purpose. 

From the side of the parents the baptism of a child is their 
claim on the rights and privileges of the covenant for their 
child, and their engagement to give the child a Christian 
education in the home. ‘Too often the form is gone through 
but the substance is neglected. An interview with the parents 
before the ceremony, in which the nature of infant baptism 
is carefully explained, a prayer, the presentation of literature 
on Christian nurture, and a pastoral oversight of the life of 
the family in relation to the solemn vows assumed by the 
parents could not fail to have their effect. 

The decision of a child in a nominally Christian home to 
confess Christ in his Church may arouse forgotten purposes 
and desires and may open the possibility of reéstablishing a 
neglected family altar for the sake of the child and its newly 
found Christian experience. 

These are only hints of ways in which the pastor in his 
pastoral ministry may contribute to the development of a 
Christian family life in his parish, conducive in the highest 
degree to the Christian education of the children, which is 
alike the most pressing obligation of the Christian family and 
of the Christian Church. 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 133 


b. The pastor’s responsibility for Christian education in 
the church. There are larger social groups than the family 
by association with which the children and youth may receive 
a Christian education. Preéminent among these larger groups 
is the church itself as it meets for the services of public 
worship. 

As soon as the child is old enough he ought to be drawn 
into the fellowship of the church’s worship and work. Only 
by regular attendance upon at least the morning service will 
the younger child have the opportunity of growing up into the 
corporate life of the church, sharing in its worship, having 
the benefit of its pulpit instruction, and falling naturally into 
his place in the Christian enterprises undertaken by the 
church. The family pew is an educational institution only 
second in importance to the Christian family itself. What- 
ever system of Christian education the church may maintain 
separately for the children and youth, nothing ought to be 
allowed to effect the unnatural separation of the child from 
his association with his parents and other mature Christians 
in the church itself. The influence of the pastor and of the 
parents will combine to bring about this significant addition 
to the educational opportunities of the children. 

The statement of the contribution which the public worship 
service may make to the Christian education of the child 
raises the question of the adaptation of that service to the 
needs and capacities of the child. Adaptation of the worship 
elements in the service—the use of Scripture, prayer, hymns, 
music, and the like—and of the instruction elements, primarily 
the sermon, is involved. There are some general adaptations 
and some special adaptations which may be briefly considered. 

Is it too much to say that the whole service should be 
planned with the participation of the children in mind, when 
it is recognized that the supreme mission of the Church is the 
Christian education of the children? Of course, this does not 
mean that there should be an impossible attempt to provide 
elements in the service for each age group recognized in the 
standard Sunday-school organization. Nor does it necessarily 
mean that any particular elements of the service—a children’s 


134 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


sermon, a children’s hymn, or the like—should be especially 
provided for children. Nor does it mean that there should 
be no worship or instruction elements in the service beyond 
the range of the child’s experience or understanding. That 
would be bad pedagogy as well as impossible practice. But 
it does mean that when the service is planned it should be 
kept distinctly in mind that children will be present and that 
they must not be shut out from real participation in the 
service. | 

This principle, if applied with discretion, will work out 
greatly to the benefit not only of the children but also of the 
adult congregation. It is never too early for the children to 
learn and to appreciate the great hymns of the Church, which 
are the expression of the deepest Christian experience thrown 
into a poetic form which has its own peculiar appeal to child- 
hood. When noble words are joined to noble music, their 
educational value is very high. There is scarcely a better 
vehicle for emotionalized Christian truth. 

Dignified simplicity is not an unwelcome characteristic of 
public prayer. If it be so that true desire makes prayer, 
whether public or private, public prayer will gain greatly if it 
expresses the true desire of the worshipers, both old and 
young, as it arises out of the experiences of their daily lives, 
which are for the most part so intimately connected with 
their family relationships. 

So far as the preaching is concerned, such a principle would 
serve to emphasize the teaching element rather than the horta- 
tory element, which would be gain. It is a common observa- 
tion in churches where a children’s sermon is customary that 
the adults enjoy the children’s sermon as much, or more, than 
do the children. That is an indirect acknowledgment of the 
fact that there are relatively few adults who find a pleasur- 
able religious emotion in abstract discussions of Christian 
doctrine or whose wills are moved by any appeal which is not 
concrete. There are some who hold that the effectiveness of 
the pulpit teaching of the Church would be immensely in- 
creased if it were simple, concrete, imaginative enough to hold 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 185 


the attention of children, say of the ages of twelve, thirteen, 
and fourteen. 

There is, moreover, a great educational value in the sacra- 
ments of the Church when celebrated before the eyes of chil- 
dren who do not actively participate in them. 

In addition to these general adaptations of the worship 
service, there are some special adaptations of the service for 
public worship which are more or less widely practiced. 
Preaching children’s sermons which will be enjoyed by the 
children as much as by the adults is no doubt an art in itself, 
but it is an art in which the same principles obtain as those 
which govern the telling of stories to children. There is an 
abundance of good material for guidance in telling stories to 
children as well as for good children’s sermons. Sometimes a 
special children’s hymn is connected with the children’s 
sermon. 

Children’s sermons and children’s hymns are by all means 
to be commended. But a peril attends them if the children 
march out of the church service after the children’s sermon 
has been preached and the children’s hymn sung. The peril 
lies in the possible failure to make transition from partial 
attendance on the service to full attendance. If the children 
to whom the children’s sermon is preached, the Juniors (ages 
nine to eleven), for instance, are regularly graduated into 
attendance on the whole of the morning service when they 
reach the Intermediate age (twelve to fourteen years), the 
peril is avoided. The same peril, in a greater degree, attends 
the custom of holding a children’s church, in which the organ- 
ization and worship service of the church is reproduced more 
or less faithfully in miniature. The advantages of such a 
children’s church will be outweighed by the disadvantages if 
it erects any barrier in the way of the association of the chil- 
dren with older Christians in the worship and work of the 
church itself. 

Enough has been said to indicate the great value of the 
church service, over which the pastor presides, in the Chris- 
tian education of the children and youth. There are easily 
accessible manuals of various kinds which will assist the 


136 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


pastor in making the full use of this and other church services 
in the educational program of the church for the children 
and youth. | 


c. The pastor’s responsibility for Christian education 
in the church school. The term “church school” is used here 
with some hesitation. It is commonly used in so many differ- 
ent senses. Sometimes it is only an ecclesiastically flavored 
name for the school which is more generally called the Sunday 
school. Sometimes it is used to intimate that the Sunday 
school has become somewhat more than a school meeting one 
hour a week under certain traditional conditions. The term is 
used here in a still broader sense. It is used to indicate the 
specific and complete educational system which the church 
maintains for its children and youth, and it is so used to 
emphasize the fact that the church must maintain such a 
specific and complete educational system, in addition to the 
Christian education given in the Christian family and in the 
church, and the fact that there must be a unity in this specific 
educational system. There ought to be but one church school, 
however many weekly sessions that church school may have, 
and however comprehensive its program. 

The pastor is the recognized head of the educational sys- 
tem, or church school, of his church. The literature on this 
general subject is so large, so varied, and so accessible, that 
this discussion will attempt to steer a straight course through 
the major elements of the pastor’s responsibility, leaving de- 
tails of program, organization, and administration to be filled 
in from this special, technical literature. 

This discussion will deal first with some general considera- 
tions which will serve as guiding principles in the development 
of a church school. It will then enumerate and comment upon 
some existing elements in the educational program of the 
Protestant churches in America which may be taken up and 
assimilated into an educational system for the individual 
church. Lastly this discussion will indicate a possible suc- 
cession of steps which may be taken in the general direction 
of creating such an educational system or church school, 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 187 
(1) Underlying considerations: 


(a) The Christian education of the children and youth 
is the responsibility of the Church. It is not the responsi- 
bility of the State, and cannot be the responsibility of the 
State in a democracy where the population is religiously 
heterogeneous. Christian education is an end in itself, and 
not a means to the end that the children of a democratic com- 
munity should be educated for life in that democratic com- 
munity, though Christian education will make a vital and 
necessary contribution to that democratic education. 

It follows, then, that a Church system of Christian educa- 
tion, or church school, must be supported by the Church, as 
an integral and major part of the Church’s whole enterprise. 
Protestant Churches have largely allowed their Sunday 
schools, which have been so far the backbone of their educa- 
tional systems, to support themselves. This is not sound 
practice, and reveals a failure to grasp the significance of the 
educational program. Not only ought the church school to 
be a first charge on a church’s budget, but the support of 
the church school ought to be as ample as the resources 
of the church will allow. There is no reason why teachers in 
the church school should not be paid, for instance: the pastor, 
who is the head of the church’s teaching enterprise, is usually 
paid. For the same reason, proper buildings and equipment 
for the church school should be the first concern of the church. 


(b) The developing needs and capacities of the children 
and youth ought to determine the nature of the educational 
program of the church school. The purpose of the 
church school is to give a Christian education to the children 
and youth, i.e., a body of vital Christian truth, a habit of 
effective Christian worship, and a skill in Christian living 
and service. But these objectives—expressed here so gener- 
ally and untechnically—must be realized in terms of the needs 
and capacities of the child as he passes through the successive 
stages of his development. 

A considerable body of knowledge with reference to the 
characteristics of children and youth in these stages of de- 


138 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


velopment has already been accumulated by patient research. 
There is much yet to be learned, and much that has already 
been learned waits to be assimilated into educational practice. 
Present conclusions, tentative as they are, furnish an indis- 
pensable guide to the Christian educator. 

The most complete available knowledge has gone into the 
grading of the standard Sunday school. Each departmental 
age group represents generally homogeneous needs and capaci- 
ties, to which the program of Christian education ought to be 
adapted. These age groups, with their Sunday-school names, 
are as follows: Cradle Roll, birth to 3 years; Beginners, 
4, 5 years; Primary, 6, 7, 8 years; Junior, 9, 10, 11 years; 
Intermediate, 12, 18, 14 years; Senior, 15, 16, 17 years; Young 
People, 18-23 years; Adult, 24 years and up. 

It is to be observed that we are not now considering the 
Sunday school as such at all, but only the age groups into 
which educational practice grades the Sunday school. These 
age groups should be regarded as the units of the church 
school, and the whole educational program of the church 
school planned with the characteristics of these unit age 
groups in mind. They should continue to be so regarded as 
long as they continue to represent the best available knowl- 
edge in the grouping of children and youth according to 
homogeneity of needs and capacities. Fuller knowledge may 
change the details of the age-group divisions, but the principle 
will remain the same. It is on that principle that we are now 
insisting. The church school should be organized on the age- 
group basis. In some very highly organized church schools, 
public-school grading by single years may be followed within 
the age groups. 


(c) The educational program for each age group should 
be comprehensive, making adequate provision for all the 
elements in a complete Christian education for the stage 
of development of each age group. In other words, the 
program should not be merely in terms of formal instruction, 
the impartation of religious information, even though in the 
imparting of this information the active nature of the learn- 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 139 


ing process is fully recognized. The program must make pro- 
vision for instruction, but it must also make full provision for 
actual worship and for practice in the acts of worship and in 
the use of the materials of worship. The vital part which 
worship plays in Christian education has not been sufficiently 
recognized either in theory or in practice. The acquisition of 
skill in Christian living and service, which is gained only by 
actual experence, must be provided for by the inclusion in the 
program of the necessary activities, which may very roughly 
be called the expressional elements in the educational process. 

A full discussion of the elements in an adequate program 
of Christian education will be found in the easily available 
literature on the subject. The point to be underscored here is 
that a comprehensive program for each age group is a funda- 
mental educational principle in the church school. 


(d) The program of the church school should be de- 
veloped in codperation with the program of Christian edu- 
cation in the Christian family and in the church, and in such 
cooperation as is possible with the program of Christian edu- 
cation of other churches in the community and with the pro- 
gram of education in the public schools. 

The educational program of the church should be unified. 
The Christian family, the church, and the church school, 
having a common objective, must work together to reach that 
objective—the Christian education of the children and youth. 
There are obvious ways in which the Christian family can 
codperate with the church and the church school. The church 
and the church school must also codperate with the Christian 
family. The church school can codperate directly by provid- 
ing specific training for parents in its regular curriculum, 
through elective courses in its Adult Department, through 
the Cradle Roll and the Home Department, and through 
mothers’ classes, parent-training classes, parent-teacher con- 
ferences, and the like. 

Codperation between the individual church and _ other 
churches and religious bodies in the community may take 
various forms, as will appear later. 


140 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


The educational policy of the church should be worked out 
in as close cooperation with the public schools as is possible. 
This codperation is best established and maintained by con- 
tact between those responsible for the church-school policy, 
either directly or through some such organization as a com- 
munity council of religious education, and those in control of 
public-school policy. 


(e) The effectiveness of the church school depends not 
only on the warmth of genuine Christian feeling which 
pervades it, but also on the educational standards which 
are maintained. The competency of the teachers is the most 
important single element in the maintenance of high educa- 
tional standards. The church must magnify the teaching 
office. It must hold to the New Testament standard: First, 
pastors; then, teachers. The church must take care to insist 
not only upon the Christian character, but also upon the 
professional training of those to whom it commits its supreme 
function of the Christian education of the young. 


(f) The program of the church school should be under 
competent supervision. The primary responsibility for 
this teaching institution rests on the pastor. The official board 
of the church, by whatever named called, is intimately as- 
sociated with the pastor in this responsibility as in every other 
responsibility involving the spiritual welfare of the church. 

Many churches have found it of great advantage to dele- 
gate direct responsibility for Christian education to a repre- 
sentative church Committee or Council of Religious or Chris- 
tian Education. Forms of organization for such a committee 
or council will be discussed later on. The principle needs to 
be established at the outset, however, as it obviously belongs 
among the first principles of a church school, which is 
designed to supply a comprehensive program of Christian 
education adapted to the developing needs and capacities 
of children and youth. 

A church committee or council provides for general super- 
vision of the church program of Christian education. But 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 141 


many churches have found it necessary to add to the staff of 
the church a director of religious education, who shall be 
associated with the pastor as the officer of the church who is 
responsible for putting into effect the comprehensive program 
adopted by the church committee or council, and approved by 
the governing board of the church. 


(g) In developing a church-school program on an ade- 
quate basis, an educational method must be pursued. In 
other words, a church must be taken at its actual point of 
development and carried along step by step toward the realiza- 
tion of the leaders’ objectives. The educational program of a 
church cannot be developed beyond the educational conscious- 
ness of the church. With the actual condition among the rank 
and file of the Protestant churches of America such as has 
been outlined earlier in the chapter, it is necessary for pas- 
tors who are keenly aware of the Church’s supreme mission 
to teach Christianity to the children and youth to be content 
to use slow-going educational processes to bring about the 
desired attitude in the church itself. To no one more than to 
a pastor whose educational thinking is in advance of his 
church does the promise of strength as the need of the day 
requires come with more force. Here, if ever, patience must 
have its perfect work. 


(2) Old and new elements out of which a church school 
may be built up. 

The discussion of principles could be greatly prolonged. The 
aim has been merely to state some major considerations in a 
general way as a background for dealing with the actual sit- 
uation in the average Protestant church in America. The 
next step is to review the actual situation itself. In the aver- 
age Protestant church there are existent certain elements of a 
comprehensive program of Christian education. There are 
other elements which are more and more widely entering into 
the life of the Protestant Church. The purpose of this section 
is to enumerate the more important of these older and newer 
elements in the situation, to comment briefly upon them, and 


142 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


so to prepare the way for the discussion of method by which 
progress may be made in a given situation. 


(a) The Sunday school. The Sunday school is an element 
in the situation in practically every Protestant church. In a 
large proportion of the Protestant churches it is as yet the 
only school for Christian education. There is no discounting 
the service which the Sunday school has rendered, and which 
it will continue to render, to the churches of America. It has 
suffered under severe limitations of time and leadership, but 
it has saved the day for the Christian education of the chil- 
dren and youth so far as the day has been saved. The Sun- 
day school will be the nucleus around which the new educa- 
tional system will be built. It has gathered into its service 
those who have the point of view of the Church’s supreme 
mission and who have dedicated themselves to the realization 
of that mission in the rising generation. 

If a church makes no other provision for the Christian edu- 
cation of its children and youth than the Sunday school, there 
is all the more pressing reason that the Sunday school should 
be made as effective as possible. Christian truth must be 
imparted in it; experience in Christian worship must 
be developed by it; skill in Christian living and service 
must be one of its outcomes. The literature on effective 
Sunday-school organization and administration is so abundant 
and so varied that a further study of the methods of Sunday- 
school efficiency can easily be made. The unit of the Stand- 
ard Teacher Training Course, on ‘The Organization and Ad- 
ministration of the Church School,” by Dr. Athearn, is 
especially to be commended. Denominational Boards can 
suggest other books in keeping with their denominational 
policies. ) 


(b) The expressional societies. The obvious limitations 
of the Sunday school gave rise in the Protestant churches, and 
also outside the churches, to various organizations designed to 
supply elements in Christian education which were not within 
the competency of the Sunday school. The Sunday school 
meets only one hour a week. Its emphasis is on instruction, 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 1438 


the impartation of Christian information. It provides little 
opportunity for worship and training in worship. In various 
ways it does attempt to furnish through-the-week activities 
which have value in the development of skill in Christian liv- 
ing and service. But the origin of these movements in the 
direction of a more adequate educational program in the Sun- 
day school was largely contemporaneous with the growth of 
other organizations which emphasized not so much instruc- 
tion, which was recognized as the major function of the Sun- 
day school, as the other elements in Christian education 
neglected by the Sunday school or crowded into its narrow 
time limits without the possibility of adequately handling 
them. 

These organizations may be somewhat roughly divided into 
three groups: 

(1) Societies of the type of the Christian Endeavor societies. 
These societies grew up largely in the Senior and Young 
People’s age groups and their general purpose was to provide 
a training in Christian life and service through actual experi- 
ence. As the typical mark of the Sunday school was “‘teach- 
ing the lesson,” the typical mark of the young people’s society 
of this kind was “‘taking part in the meeting” or service of one 
sort and another. 

As the movement grew, similar societies for younger age 
groups—the Intermediate and the Junior—were organized. 
A more or less complete system was developed, with emphasis 
on Christian education by direct participation in Christian 
worship and service. Some Protestant denominations as- 
similated the movement into their own corporate life; others 
were content to codperate with an interdenominational move- 
ment. In either case, the assimilation was not really com- 
plete. Societies of this type run, for the most part, a course 
parallel to the Sunday school. The grading is not the same 
as that of the Sunday school. The constituency is different. 
It has been estimated that only about twenty-five per cent of 
the Sunday-school constituency is enrolled in expressional 
organizations of this general type. The program stands in no 
definite relationship to the program of the Sunday school, and 


144 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


does not merge with the Sunday-school program to form one 
Church program. 

There should be no hesitation in recognizing the inestimable 
service these societies have rendered to the Church, not only 
in providing valuable training for thousands of young people, 
but also in calling attention to an essential element in the 
Church’s educational program. It remains only for the 
Church to recognize the facts and to conserve the values repre- 
sented by ‘these societies within a comprehensive church 
school. 

(2) Missionary organizations. The promotion of the mis- 
sionary enterprises of the Church at home and abroad gave 
rise to the organization, among the children and youth, of a 
great variety of mission bands and societies, which pursued 
their own most laudable ends without any relation to the 
Sunday school and its program. 

The grading of these bands and societies does not corre- 
spond to the standard grading of the Sunday school or with 
the grading of the societies of the Christian Endeavor type; 
the constituency is different; the program is developed with- 
out any distinct reference to the basic educational program of 
the Church. The Indiana Survey shows, for instance, that 
one denomination promoted the Sunday school with its stand- 
ard grading; the Christian Endeavor societies in which the 
Junior society corresponded in age limits with the Junior De- 
partment of the Sunday school, the Intermediate society over- 
ran the age limits of the Intermediate and Senior Depart- 
ments of the Sunday school, and the Senior society ran over 
the Young People’s Department age into the Adult age; and 
a great variety of missionary organizations: (a) for home 
missions, an organization with age limits from birth to 16 
years, an organization confined to the Intermediate age 
group, an organization for girls, ages 14 to 18 years, and an 
organization for girls, 18 years and over; (b) for foreign mis- 
sions, an organization for children under 6 years, an organ- 
ization for children 6 to 12 years, and organizations for 
girls of ages 14 to 18 years and for girls of ages 18 years and 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 145 


over. Other denominations have a still more varied and con- 
fusing approach to the children and youth of their churches. 

Again, no one can hesitate to recognize the initial necessity 
for these missionary organizations. They were necessary as 
agencies of missionary education in the day of the Church’s 
lukewarm missionary zeal. They performed an inestimable 
service to the Church, even after the official missionary educa- 
tion movements got under way in the churches, for these 
official movements were in the beginning largely adult move- 
ments. The Mission Boards by promoting these missionary 
organizations served not only their own causes, but also the 
cause of Christian education by making it evident that mis- 
sionary education is of the very essence of Christian 
education. 

In the creation of the new educational system for the 
Church, the essential factor in Christian education represented 
by these missionary organizations among children and youth 
must be conserved. The imparting of missionary informa- 
tion and the inculcation of the missionary motive must form 
an integral and vital part of the Church’s program of Chris- 
tian education. The experience and zeal of the leaders of 
these organizations must not be lost to the Church, but rather 
released for wider service in the Church’s educational life. 

(3) Boys’ and girls’ clubs. The Indiana Survey shows that 
the same denomination which was cited above as an instance 
of the promotion of missionary organizations among children 
and youth, in addition to the Sunday school and societies of 
the Christian Endeavor type, all with an educational purpose, 
had represented in its churches certain other organizations for 
boys and girls. For the Junior age group, there were Cub 
Scouts, Blue Birds, and Brownies; for the Intermediate and 
Senior age groups, sometimes running over into the Young 
People’s age group, there were Kappa Sigma Pi, Knights of 
King Arthur, the Christian Citizenship Training Program of 
the Y. M. C. A., Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and Girl Scouts. 
This is by no means a complete list of the organizations which 
compete for the time and attention of the boys and girls who 


146 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


are affiliated with the Protestant churches, but only a list of 
the organizations for boys and girls actually existing in the 
churches of one denomination in one American state, and 
existing there alongside the Sunday school, the societies of the 
Christian Endeavor type, and the missionary organizations. 

The national direction of these organizations is for the most 
part in the hands of those Who are animated by a desire to 
supply certain elements in the program of Christian educa- 
tion which have been neglected by the Church. In various 
degrees these organizations are affiliated with the Church, 
and seek to serve the Church directly or to codperate with 
the Church in the service of the nation. Their programs are 
of the “activities” type, and recognize more or less fully the 
fact that they are subsidiary to the Church’s program of 
Christian education. 

The service which organizations of this general type render 
to the boys and girls must be fully acknowledged. Again the 
Church is indebted to outside organizations, dominated how- 
ever by a Christian purpose, for drawing its attention to 1m- 
portant elements in the educational process which the Church 
was overlooking and for stimulating the Church to the repair 
of its neglect. In many cases, the Church cannot do better 
than to seek close codperation with these organizations, as- 
similating elements of their programs into the program of the 
church school. 

The immediate point of interest here is that these organiza- 
tions exist in the Church or in close connection with the 
Church, and form a part of the situation which the Church 
meets when it endeavors to build up a comprehensive system 
of Christian education. It is obvious that it is not to the 
interest of the Christian education of the children and youth, 
already heavily burdened as they are by the demands which 
the public schools make on their time and attention, to suffer 
the time available for Christian education to be divided 
among three or four organizations operating on different, some- 
times competitive, and hardly ever complementary programs 
under different leaders and cultivating different loyalties. 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 147 


(c) Newer elements in the situation. We have been com- 
menting upon agencies with an educational purpose which are 
typical of the situation in the average Protestant church. 
There are two movements in the educational life of the Church 
which are of comparatively recent origin, but which have 
made such rapid progress that they have already profoundly 
influenced the educational program of a considerable propor- 
tion of the Protestant churches. In developing a church 
school on a comprehensive program, the contributions which 
the schools of these two types can make to the whole should 
be carefully considered. 

(1) The Daily Vacation Bible School. The summer- 
vacation period of the public schools offers available time for 
Christian education, and in recent years various types of 
vacation schools have been organized to take advantage of 
the opportunity. Like the Sunday school, one type of vaca- 
tion school originated outside the Church with generally 
philanthropic and civic ends in view, seeking to serve 
primarily the neglected children of the slums and the immi- 
grant centers of our great cities, while another type sought 
to provide a more adequate Christian education for the chil- 
dren of the Church or for the children of well-churched com- 
munities whom the Church was not reaching through the Sun- 
day school. The original Daily Vacation Bible School move- 
ment, launched by Dr. Charles Boville, was of the former 
type; the Vaughn, the Lathem, and the denominationally de- 
veloped and promoted schools are of the latter type, although 
they also reach large groups of children not reached by the 
Sunday schools. Within this latter type, however, there is 
considerable diversity of educational objective and program. 

The great educational advantage of a school which meets 
on successive days, for a period of from two and a half to 
three hours, through a number of weeks, over the Sunday 
school which meets only one hour a week, is too evident to 
educational theory and too well demonstrated in the experi- 
ence of thousands of churches to need further argument. The 
Vacation School, as an element in the educational program 
of the Church, has come to stay, unless there should be a 


148 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


change in the public-school system which no longer leaves a 
summer vacation time available for this purpose. Not. only 
does the Vacation School render great service to the children— 
though so far it has largely been limited to those of the Be- 
ginners, Primary, and Junior age groups, with some Inter- 
mediates—but it also enlists a new leadership in carrying out 
the Church’s program and “stimulates the educational con- 
sciousness of churches and communities to a surprising degree. 

Full information about the various types of Vacation- 
School organization and program may be obtained from de- 
nominational and interdenominational service agencies. It is 
needless to say that these types of organization and program 
should be studied from the point of view of the church school, 
that is, from the point of view of the contribution which the 
Vacation School can make to the comprehensive program of 
Christian education which the Church is to provide. 

(2) Week-day church schools. The movement for week- 
day religious instruction during the public-school year has 
been growing with great rapidity. There now are hundreds 
of communities in which some form of week-day religious in- 
struction is carried on. The movement originated in the de- 
sire to find more time for Christian education, and to raise 
the standards of Christian education so that they would com- 
pare more favorably with public-school standards. 

The underlying principle is thoroughly American. The 
separation of Church and State is fully recognized and prop- 
erly safeguarded. On the other hand, the necessity for the 
codperation of Church and State in the education of the chil- 
dren and youth is also fully recognized and provided for. The 
State needs to have the education which it can give in the 
public-school system, since specific religious instruction is 
excluded from this system by the operation of the principle of 
religious liberty, supplemented by the religious education 
which can be given by the Church or other religious bodies 
alone. Education, unmotivated by religion, cannot provide 
an adequate training for life in a democracy. In other words, 
the State needs the codperation of the religious bodies to make 
public education itself effective. The State is, therefore, justi- 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 149 


fied in principle in releasing children and youth from the 
public schools at stated periods in order that they may receive 
religious instruction from the religious bodies of the com- 
munity, and in granting public-school credit for work done in 
these week-day classes or schools for religious instruction, 
provided that it comes up to the educational standards erected 
by the public-school authorities. 

On the other hand, the Church needs the codperation of the 
pubhe schools in order to secure time for week-day religious 
instruction during the public-school year and to receive the 
stimulation of more direct contact with the educational ideals 
and standards of the public schools. 

This is the general theory of week-day religious instruction. 
As a matter of fact, a large proportion of the existing week- 
day classes or schools for religious instruction are not held on 
public-school time, and a still larger proportion do not have 
public-school credit. This holds good for the week-day 
schools which take care of pupils from the grade-school ages. 
When the high-school age comes into consideration, the case is 
somewhat different. Credit in the high schools for work done 
in Bible study, for instance, becomes desirable and even im- 
perative. A number of states make special provision for the 
granting of such credit. 

There are three general types of organization for the con- 
duct of week-day religious instruction for the grade-school 
ages: 

There is what may be called the individual-church type, in 
which a week-day school, or class, is maintained by one church 
alone. In this type there is no interchurch or interdenomina- 
tional codperation, and full control is exercised by the in- 
dividual church. 

There is the denominational community type. In this type 
there is full codperation not only between denominations but 
also among Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish religious 
bodies. This codperation is secured by the organization of a 
community board or council for the promotion of week-day 
religious instruction. The council is composed of representa- 
tives of the codperating religious bodies, and acts for those 


150 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 

bodies in all matters connected with the public schools, such 
as securing public-school time and credit for work done in the 
church schools, in recruiting the child population of the com- 
munity for religious instruction, and sometimes in the training 
of teachers. 

While allowing for the fullest codperation between religious 
bodies, this type of organization makes it possible for each 
church to control the week-day school to which its children 
go. In this type of organization, the week-day school be- 
comes an integral part of a church’s program of Christian 
education and can be incorporated into a unified and cor- 
related plan, and the curriculum material is more to be in 
harmony with religious truth as it is held by that church and 
taught in its other agencies for Christian education, such as 
the Sunday school. It is, of course, possible under this plan 
for a number of churches of one denomination or of various 
denominations to maintain one week-day school for all the 
children of the various codperating churches, provided the cur- 
riculum is correlated to a comprehensive educational program 
developed in common by them all. 

There is a third type which may be called the interdenom- 
inational type. In this type a community council is organ- 
ized, in which the religious bodies of the community may or 
may not be directly represented, and takes over the entire 
direction of the week-day religious instruction, maintaining 
a community school, or schools, of religious instruction to 
which the children go without distinction on the ground of 
religious affiliation. The community council determines the 
courses of study, selects the teachers, raises the money for the 
enterprise, and is in general responsible for it. ‘This type ex- 
cludes the Roman Catholics and the Jews from participation. 
Otherwise it provides for full interdenominational codperation 
between Protestant churches, with only indirect control of the 
week-day school by the individual church. This type of 
school cannot be directly correlated with the educational sys- 
tem of any individual church. 

Full information about these types of organization and the 
practical problems which arise in connection with them is 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 151 


accessible in books and in literature for free distribution pro- 
vided by denominational and interdenominational service 
agencies. The point to be emphasized here is that the move- 
ment for week-day religious instruction introduces a new 
element into the field where the pastor is seeking to build up 
an adequate system of Christian education, or church school, 
and that the type of organization and program of the week- 
day class or school should be chosen with a view to the pro- 
motion of that end. 

We have now completed our review of the older and the 
newer elements in the situation which a pastor will face when 
he sets out to plan for a church school on a comprehensive 
program. Of course, we have not described any actual, con- 
crete situation, but only a typical situation. The Sunday 
school, the expressional organizations of the Christian En- 
deavor type, of the missionary band type, of the boys’ or 
girls’ club type, are the older elements in the situation; the 
Daily Vacation Bible School and the week-day class or school 
are the newer elements. But all these types of schools or 
organizations either exist in any given church or may easily 
be organized. The problem is how to use them as elements 
in a new and unified program. 

Having in mind certain general principles and a composite 
picture of the existing situation in an average church, we are 
now ready to consider what steps can be taken to develop 
a comprehensive educational program for the individual 
church. 


(d) Steps in the development of a more adequate educa- 
tional program. 


(1) The first step to be taken is the organization of a 
church council of Christian education, representative of the 
educational leadership of the church. Preliminary contacts 
may be established with existing groups of Sunday-school 
leaders, e.g., a Sunday-school workers’ conference may be 
used as a means of broadening the vision of those who are 
already devoted to the educational program of the church. 
But as the end in view is not merely the raising of the educa- 


152 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


tional efficiency of the Sunday school, but the correlation of 
all the existing agencies for Christian education in the church, 
and the creation of a new and comprehensive program of 
Christian education for the church, it is essential that a coun- 
cil should be formed in which all the educational interests of 
the church are represented in the person of the active leaders. 
The first step in the correlation of programs is a complete 
understanding among those who are responsible for the pro- 
grams, which can be attained only by regular conference in 
which the whole situation is kept steadily before the vision of 
the whole group. In setting up this organization it must be 
clearly recognized that most church workers are volunteers; 
that some of them have been working at specialized tasks for 
several years; some have plans and programs well established 
and working more or less effectively, but without sufficient 
correlation with other plans and programs for the same age 
group; therefore, the full sympathy of all these workers is 
essential to that successful correlation which is one of the 
major functions of the council. 

It is needless to say that no steps should be taken to organ- 
ize the church council without the full concurrence and ap- 
proval of the governing body of the church. Indeed, the of- 
ficial movement to organize the council ought to come from 
the governing body through the pastor. 

There are two general plans for the organization of a church 
council of Christian education which have proved themselves 
successful in actual operation. They are both based on the 
theory of securing representation of all the agencies in the 
church which are related to the church program of Christian 
education. 

The following is the simplest form which can be recom- 
mended: 


A. For churches having a membership of less than two 
hundred. 

In such churches the council may be composed of the pastor, 
ex officio, one other member of each governing board ap- 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 153 


pointed by the governing boards, the superintendent of the 
Sunday school, the superintendents of the divisions of the 
Sunday school, if there are such (Children’s, Young People’s, 
Adult), and one representative from each other organization 
doing educational work, for example, the Young People’s so- 
ciety, the Intermediate society, the Junior society, the 
Women’s Missionary society or societies, the missionary or- 
ganizations for children and youth, the Men’s Brotherhood, 
the church Committee on Missionary Education, and others. 
Any person in the church having special educational qualifica- 
tions may be added to the council as representing the congre- 
gation at large. 


B. In churches having more than two hundred members. 

In such churches the council may be composed of the pas- 
tor, ex officio, together with two members of each governing 
board appointed by the governing boards, the director of re- 
ligious education, if there be one, the superintendent of the 
Sunday school, and two representatives of each division in the 
Sunday school, one of whom should be the superintendent of 
the division, (in the case of the Young People’s Division, the 
other should be a pupil) and one representative from each or- 
ganization doing educational work, including the church Com- 
mittee on Missionary Education. Men and women with 
special educational qualifications may be added to the council 
as representing the congregation at large. 

The following more thorough form of organization is rec- 
ommended. It involves the organization of age-group Guid- 
ing Committees, or cabinets, and the organization of the coun- 
cil out of representatives from these Guiding Committees or 
cabinets. The aim of these age-group cabinets is to correlate 
the work of all the organizations within the age group, to 
supply deficiencies of program, and in general to provide a 
comprehensive program for the age group, correlated, of 
course, through the council with the comprehensive programs 
for the other age groups. 

The following grouping is suggested; 


154 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


Age Group Maximum Grouping Minimum Grouping 
for Church of 250 for Church of Less 


Memb M 
TaCrdiceRall embers or More Than 250 Members 


Birth to 3 years| 


II. Beginners | Group I Group I 
4, 5 years Birth to 8 years Birth to 11 years 
III. Primary 
6, 7, 8 years] : 
IV. Junior Group II 
9, 10, 11 years 9-11 years 
V. Intermediate Group III } 
12, 13, 14 years 12-14 years | 
VI. Senior Group IV [ Group II 
15, 16, 17 years 15-17 years { 12-23 years 
VII. Young People Group V | 
18-23 years 18-23 years | 
VIII. Adult Group VI Group III 
24 and up 24 and up 24 and up 


The group-cabinet organization may be effected by inviting 
all the adults having specific leadership responsibilities in any 
organization in that group to unite in forming a Guiding Com- 
mittee, or cabinet, for that group. In addition, in all groups 
above the Intermediate age (12-14 years), there should be 
some representation from the young people. As an example, 
the Young People’s group cabinet should include: 


A. The officers of the Young People’s Department of the 
Sunday school. 

B. The teachers of all classes for young people. 

C. The president or other representative of each class. 

D. The officers and committee chairmen of the Young 
People’s society of Christian Endeavor or other organizations. 

E. One or more outstanding leaders of each specialized or- 
ganization or club, such as girls’ missionary society, Young 
Men’s Club, Young Women’s Club. 


The cabinet may be made smaller if deemed advisable. 
Each cabinet should organize, elect officers, and assume re- 
sponsibility for studying the full needs of the membership of 
the group, present the results of its study to the church coun- 
cil, and carry out the plans of the council for the group. An 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 155 


outline of the organization and work of each age group may 
be had upon application to the denominational and _ inter- 
denominational service agencies. 

The church council may be formed on the basis of the 
group-cabinet organization as follows: 


A. The pastor and one or more members of each governing 
board, elected by the governing boards. 

B. Three members of each group cabinet, elected by the 
cabinet. 

C. Any members of the congregation possessing special edu- 
cational qualifications, elected by the governing boards. 

It 1s impossible, within the limits of this chapter, to enter 
fully into the discussion of the functions of a church council 
of Christian education. Additional information, as has al- 
ready been suggested, may be secured from the denomina- 
tional and interdenominational agencies in this field. Some 
concrete illustration of the method of procedure must, how- 
ever, be given, since in the work of this council lies the hope 
for the creation of a comprehensive program of Christian edu- 
cation for the individual church. 


(2) The first business of the church council will be to secure 
a body of accurate knowledge with reference to the existing 
situation in the church. This body of knowledge can be 
secured only by a survey or series of surveys. 

A general schedule, such as Professor W. C. Bower has 
worked out in Chapter VII of his book, “A Survey of Re- 
ligious Education in the Local Church,” might serve as a 
useful guide, with necessary adaptations to local conditions. 
The findings of “The Indiana Survey of Religious Education: 
Volume One: The Religious Education of Protestants in an 
American Commonwealth,” by Walter S. Athearn and others, 
together with the scales and standards to be published in 
Volume Two, and the question schedules developed for the 
purposes of this survey and the codes accompanying the sched- 
ules to appear in Volume Three, have the highest scientific 
value in securing accurate information about the educational 
program of any church. When these thoroughly scientific 


156 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


surveys are used, however, the assistance of highly trained 
experts is required both in gathering and in codifying the in- 
formation. Such assistance can be obtained through de- 
nominational or interdenominational service agencies. 

Less formal surveys will, however, prove practical and 
useful. The necessary information may be roughly classified 
as information about the constituency, information about the 
program, and information about the buildings and equipment. 
In other words, there should be a survey of the child popula- 
tion of the parish, a survey of the program of Christian educa- 
tion at present offered by the church, and a survey of the 
buildings and equipment with special reference to their 
adequacy for the purposes of Christian education. 

The survey of the parish is a relatively simple matter, and 
should be undertaken by a committee of the church council. 
The survey should yield information about the child popula- 
tion of the parish served by the church, the church affiliations 
of their parents, the ages of the children, classified by sex and 
the standard age groups, their public-school standing, the op- 
portunities for Christian education which they at present 
enjoy, 1. e., in what organizations offering a program of Chris- 
tian education they are at present enrolled, how regularly they 
attend, the state of their interest, and so forth. Simple sched- 
ules for securing this information can easily be devised. This 
information will be of use not only in evaluating the existing 
program of Christian education offered by the church but also 
in planning for the extension of the advantages of the church 
school to children and youth in the parish at present entirely 
unreached. 

The survey of the program is a more difficult matter. But 
exceedingly valuable information can be gathered by patient 
study. The existing program of Christian education for each 
age group should be the unit of survey. If the church council 
is organized out of group cabinets, as suggested in the more 
thorough form of church-council organization, the survey of 
the program for each age group should be carried on by the 
respective age-group cabinet. If the church council is not 
organized out of age-group cabinets, those in the church coun- 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 157 


cil responsible for the program for each age group should be 
constituted into a Survey Committee to study the existing 
program for that age group. When the age-group commit- 
tees, or group cabinets, have finished their work, the results 
should be assembled and studied as a whole by the church 
council. 

The Survey Committee for each age group should proceed 
somewhat as follows: It should first list the organizations at 
present existing which offer educational programs for the age 
group in question. It should analyze these programs as to 
their general character and effectiveness. A rough measure- 
ment would determine whether the program of each organiza- 
tion was primarily instructional, for the impartation of Chris- 
tian truth, expressional in the sense that the emphasis was on 
the acquisition of skill in Christian living and service, mis- 
sionary, or of the general “activities” type. It should then be 
determined whether the programs overlapped and were com- 
petitive. They should then be studied with a view to discov- 
ering whether, taken all together, they offered anything ap- 
proaching a comprehensive program, in the sense that there 
was an opportunity for the necessary instruction in Christian 
truth, for actual worship and training in worship, for the 
acquisition of skill in Christian living and service, which in- 
cludes, of course, the whole world-wide enterprise of the 
Church. 

Finally, the actual outcomes should be studied from two 
points of view: First, what children in the age group are 
actually receiving the full program which the church offers, 
i. e., are in all the organizations maintained by the church for 
that age group, taking into account the factors of enrollment, 
attendance, and interest? Second, how successful are these 
organizations, taken as a whole, in reaching their objectives in 
the Christian education of the children; or, to put it in another 
way, do the children of the age group really receive a Chris- 
tian education adapted to their needs and capacities in terms 
of instruction and worship and are they becoming skilled in 
Christian living and service? 

Such a survey as this, if made as carefully as possible, and 


158 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


with all available assistance from literature and _ service 
agencies, will at least open new vistas of educational efficiency, 
and will form the basis of an attempt to work out a compre- 
hensive program for each age group as a contribution to the 
program of a church school in which all the existing agencies 
are correlated and such new elements as are needed introduced 
to produce a comprehensive program. 

The survey of the buildings and equipment should be made 
by the age-group committee in connection with its survey of 
the program. The thousand-point standard used in the 
Indiana Survey and published in Volume One of that survey 
may be taken as a guide. If that proves too elaborate and 
technical, each age-group committee should get the best avail- 
able information as to what would constitute an adequate 
equipment for the age group in terms of an assembly room, 
classrooms, seats and desks, lighting, blackboards, instruc- 
tional equipment such as maps, handwork materials, and so 
forth, rooms and equipment for activities, and check the actual 
equipment by their findings. Ways of improving the exist- 
ing equipment should then be considered. If a new building 
project is possible, great care should be taken that the plans 
make adequate provision for the church school. If old build- 
ings must be used, it is possible that they can be remodeled. 
Consecrated ingenuity and determination can accomplish 
wonders with apparently hopeless buildings and equipment. 

The suggested surveys are rough and ready, but they have 
the advantage of pursuing an educational method with the 
existing leadership, and no program can go beyond its leader- 
ship. No technically complete formula for program or equip- 
ment is handed the group of leaders as a finished product. 
They are invited to study the situation, develop their own 
ideas of a comprehensive program and an adequate equipment, 
in the light of their growing knowledge of the actual situ- 
tion which they have to faee and of what they can gather for 
themselves from the literature which is easily within their 
reach. When the findings of each age-group committee are 
studied by the church council as a whole, the comprehensive 
program will be well on its way. 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 159 


(e) Some steps leading to the establishment of a church 
school. We are now ready to suppose that the work of the 
council is well under way, that a body of accurate knowledge 
has been assembled by the surveys, that the problem of cor- 
relation within each age group and as a whole has been 
studied, and that the contributions which can be made to the 
comprehensive program by the vacation school and the week- 
day school have been considered. 

A new enthusiasm for Christian education is bound to have 
been kindled by the process in the minds and hearts of the 
members of the church council. One of the chief functions of 
the council is to communicate this kindling enthusiasm to the 
church as a whole and to keep it burning brightly. If what 
was said in the earlier parts of the chapter about the supreme 
mission and the supreme opportunity of the Christian Church 
is true, the church council must become the agency through 
which the church is brought to a realization of its mission and 
opportunity. There are several focal points toward which 
this new knowledge and enthusiasm should be directed. They 
will be considered very briefly, and only by way of illustra- 
tion. Each concrete situation will have its own particular 
characteristics which will have to be dealt with in a particu- 
lar way. As we have only a general, though typical, situation 
before us, all that we can do is to present general and typical 
steps that may be taken: } 

First, extension. The survey will reveal how many chil- 
dren and youth in the parish are unreached by the church’s 
program of Christian education. They may be reached in 
various ways. A campaign for increased Sunday-school en- 
rollment and attendance may be put on. A mission Sunday 
school or Daily Vacation Bible School may be organized in 
the outskirts of the parish. 

It has often happened that the Daily Vacation Bible School 
has become a most effective agency not only in bringing under 
Christian instruction children in the parish hitherto un- 
reached but also in carrying these children over into the 
Sunday school and other agencies for Christian education in 
the church. The same is true of the week-day class of school. 


160 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


If the Daily Vacation Bible School and the week-day church 
school are not run as more or less independent agencies but 
are definitely assimilated into a church system of Christian 
education, they will be all the more valuable as recruiting 
agents for the church school. Recruits may also be expected 
through the “activities” programs provided for the age groups 
in the church school. The objective is, of course, the enroll- 
ment and regular attendance of all the accessible children 
and youth in the church school so that they may receive the 
advantage of the comprehensive program. 

Second, correlation. How can the existing agencies in the 
church, such as the Sunday school, the societies of the Chris- 
tian Endeavor type, the boys’ and girls’ clubs, be brought into 
one organization? If a week-day class or school is added, 
how can it be included in this organization? This is the 
problem of correlation, from one angle. It is a very pressing 
and practical problem. Unfortunately, it does not admit of 
a categorical answer which will be equally decisive for all 
situations. An organization, in any particular situation, will 
have to be built up slowly. The process may, however, be 
illustrated. 

The process will be under the control of the church council, 
with its background of experience and knowledge of the 
actual situation. The first step, perhaps, will be the grading 
of the Sunday school according to the recognized stand- 
ards, if that has not already been done, and the grading of 
the other organizations which it is proposed to merge into the 
church school in accordance with the same standards. The 
age groups may now be regarded as the units of the church 
school. 

Illustrations of the method of dealing with the problem of 
the age groups may be of service. For instance, an experi- 
ment could be tried with the Junior age group. Suppose that 
there is a Junior Department in the Sunday school, a Junior 
Christian Endeavor society and Junior mission band. The 
Junior Christian Endeavor society and the Junior mission 
band may not strictly conform to the age limits of the Junior 
Department in the Sunday school, but they may be regraded 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 161 


or temporary adaptations made. Remember that the superin- 
tendent of the Junior Department of the Sunday school and 
the superintendents of the Junior Christian Endeavor society 
and the mission band have been brought together with other 
leaders of the educational program for this age group in 
a committee of the church council or a group cabinet of the 
council. They are now in a position to plan a comprehensive 
program for the whole Junior constituency, covering perhaps 
the three hours already available for the three organizations 
which had heretofore existed independently. It may be that 
missionary education could be so effectively carried as a part 
of the comprehensive program that it would not be necessary 
or desirable to devote a separate hour to it each week. One 
of the three hours could then be used for week-day religious 
instruction, in which the impartation of Christian informa- 
tion, under pwiblic-school standards, could be emphasized. 
The Sunday-school hour could be devoted to worship, train- 
ing in worship, and the emotionalizing of the Christian truth 
taught on the week day. The third hour might be devoted 
to a related expressional program. Full information about 
this type of three-hour-a-week program is available upon 
application to the Board of Christian Education of the Pres- 
byterian Church in the U. S. A. 

In the Intermediate age group, where the activities program 
is desirable for the boys and girls separately, the same gen- 
eral plan of correlation could be carried out as that suggested 
for the Junior age group, except that the “activities” program 
could be put on in a fourth hour. The Boy Scout program, 
or the Pioneer program of the Y. M. C. A., for example, could 
be adopted as the “activities” program for the boys of the 
Intermediate age group. Similar adaptations could be made 
of existing “activities” programs for Intermediate girls. The 
three-hour-a-week program referred to above as available 
for Juniors is also available for Intermediates, and provides 
for the addition of a fourth hour for Intermediate “activities.” 

When the Young People’s age group is reached, to take 
another example, the problem is somewhat different. The 
securing of credit in the senior high school for work done in 


162 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the church school becomes important. The provision made in 
the state for this kind of credit should be carefully investi- 
gated, and advantage taken of any opportunities which are 
offered. - Correlation can be effected between the Young 
People’s Department in the Sunday school and the Young 
People’s society. There is available a Young People’s quar- 
terly, for instance, which offers topics for the Young People’s 
society meeting correlated with the Sunday-school lessons. 
In this way the program for Young People achieves a certain 
unity which can be expressed in an organization of the age 
group. 

It must be remembered that these illustrations of correla- 
tion are only illustrations. Definite recommendations could 
be made only after the study of concrete situations. 

Third, supervision. There is at present practically no 
supervision of the teaching in the Sunday school. With the 
growth of the church-school program beyond the limits of the 
Sunday school, supervision becomes more than ever impera- 
tive, in order not only that bad teaching habits should be 
corrected but also that there should be a real unity in the 
church-school program. Any correlation of agencies to be 
effective must be accompanied by a correlation of teaching. 
Supervision of the teaching and leadership of the church 
school is of primary importance. 

It is highly desirable that a properly qualified director of 
religious education be secured to give this supervision. If it 
is impossible for a church to secure the services of a full-time 
paid director, a part-time paid director who combines a 
genuine sympathy with the purposes of Christian education 
and a pedagogical training and experience in the public 
schools or other educational institutions, or a volunteer 
director, may generally be secured in the church or the 
community. 

Fourth, a trained leadership. It is almost unnecessary to 
say that the success of any educational program depends upon 
the quality of the teaching which it can command. The 
church school is in a large measure responsible for the training 
of its own leadership. There are two phases of the situation 


THE PASTOR AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 163 


to be kept in mind: First, a more adequate training for the 
existing leadership; second, provision for the regular supply 
of a thoroughly trained new leadership. 

The existing leadership can be more adequately trained by 
the organization of a teacher-training class, taking the three- 
year Standard Teacher Training Course adopted by the Inter- 
national Council of Religious Education and denomination- 
ally issued. Institutes and schools of method put on by the 
individual church or by a number of codperating churches 
may also make a contribution to this end. Community train- 
ing schools are specially designed for this purpose. 

For the training of the oncoming leadership, a teacher- 
training department in the church school is of the first im- 
portance. Prospective teachers in the church school can then 
be regularly recruited from the ages of sixteen to twenty, or 
thereabouts, and their training made an integral part of the 
church-school program. Full information about such teacher- 
training departments may be secured from denominational 
headquarters. Standard training schools, institutes, schools 
of method, and community training schools may also find 
a place in the leadership-training program, but nothing can 
take the place of a teacher-training department in the church 
school itself. 

Fifth, service agencies. Reference has frequently been 
made to the assistance which may be secured from denomina- 
tional and interdenominational service agencies. These refer- | 
ences should now be made specific, and the service which 
they can render all through the process of creating an ade- 
quate program of Christian education for the individual 
church emphasized. 

Each of the denominations has a Board or department of 
a Board which serves the whole denomination in the field of 
the Christian education of the children and youth. These 
Boards, or departments, through their headquarters staffs and 
their field representatives, and through literature of various 
kinds, stand ready to serve any church which desires 
assistance. 

Practically all the evangelical Churches codperate directly 


164 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


with each other and with other leaders in this field of Chris- 
tian education through the International Council of Religious 
Education, which is the result of a merger between the Inter- 
national Sunday School Association and the Sunday School 
Council of Evangelical Denominations. State and county 
Sunday-school associations are being reorganized in accord- 
ance with this merger, becoming state or county councils of 
religious education, in which the denominations are directly 
represented. These councils, and particularly the Interna- 
tional Council, carry on the great codperative movement of 
the evangelical Churches toward a more adequate program. 
They stand ready to give substantial help to any church or 
community. Contact ought to be established as soon as 
possible with these services agencies, both denominational and 
interdenominational. 


CHAPTER VII 
CHURCH ORGANIZATION 
1. Irs Aim anpD MeErHops 


The adoption of wise methods of church organization and 
administration is one of the chief features in modern church 
life. This practice is in accordance with that of the primitive 
Church when, for example, a committee or board was ap- 
pointed consisting of seven men whose duty it was to super- 
intend the distribution of the poor fund, while to other officers 
of the Church were left the functions of preaching, of public 
prayer, and of the spiritual oversight and leadership of the 
congregation. 

Church organization, therefore, aims to assign to each 
member of the church his appropriate duty, to provide prop- 
erly qualified individuals and groups for the performance of 
the necessary functions of an active church, and so to system- 
atize the work and the workers as to secure the largest pos- 
sible codperation and efficiency. 

Thus organization is never an end in itself, but merely a 
means whereby some worthy result may be achieved; no 
committee should be appointed and no society formed simply 
to keep certain persons occupied. If any part of the church 
machinery is found useless, it should be abandoned. On the 
other hand, if any member is found idle, his resources and 
abilities should be linked by some means to the organized 
activities of the church. 

Nor is church organization a substitute for other forms of 
pastoral service. Preaching and teaching and the care of 
souls are never to be neglected on the excuse that the pastor 
is occupied in perfecting an efficient organization of his 

165 


166 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


people. It is futile to debate the relative importance of 
different pastoral duties. All duties are sacred, and the 
performance of some does not relieve the pastor from the 
obligation of undertaking other important duties. A skillful 
coordination of forces will be an available supplement to all 
other pastoral services and will render the latter increasingly 
~ fruitful. 

Again, organization is not a source of spiritual power. 
Indeed, the multiplication of machinery rather requires in- 
creased power for its operation, but skillful adjustments of 
machinery make possible the advantageous distribution of 
power and the attainment of results which otherwise would 
be impossible. The Holy Spirit dwells in individuals, not 
in committees or in societies, but he can accomplish more 
through individual believers when they are combined har- 
moniously in a common effort than when they are working 
as isolated units. 

Nor is the work of organizing a church and systematizing 
its functions to be regarded as secular while other pastoral 
tasks are spiritual. The pastor may look for the guidance 
of the Spirit quite as truly while grading his Sunday school 
or when forming an organization of men as when preparing 
a sermon or composing a prayer. In all these cases he is pro- 
viding channels through which the power of the Spirit may 
move in forwarding the work of Christ. 


The methods of church organization are many and varied. 
No one is perfect or final or, in itself, complete. 

The pastor must select that which appears best suited to 
his own field, or rather he may combine and adapt different 
methods as necessary may arise, aiming always at simplicity 
and efficiency and making such adjustments as will avoid 
friction, waste of effort, and loss of power. 


One widely approved method of organization for an individ- 
ual church is that of the formation and functioning of a 
church council. The membership of this council includes: 

a. The pastor. 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 167 


b. Representatives of each one of the governing or official 
boards of the church. 

c. A representative of the Sunday school, and one from each 
of the other active organizations of the church, chosen by 
their own constituencies. 

d. The treasurer of the congregation. 

e. The treasurer of benevolences. 

f. Three or more representatives of the eae ee at, 
large, elected at the annual congregational meeting. If such 
a council is formed, there should be created within it a Com- 
mittee on Christian Education, which should be constituted 
as suggested in Chapter VI, or the whole council, provided it 
contains suitable representation from the agencies in the » 
church having educational programs, may function as a Com- 
mittee on Christian Education. 

The chairman of the church council is elected by the coun- 
cil, subject to the approval of the governing board of the 
church. Where an individual church is organized on the 
“sroup system” it is suggested that the group leaders be 
invited to the deliberations of the council from time to time. 

The church council should serve to codrdinate all the 
various activities and organizations of the church, and should 
correlate these activities in a harmonious and unified program. 

This program should be charged specifically with the direc- 
tion of stewardship, missionary education, every-member 
mobilization, the budget and every-member canvass, and the 
dissemination of information concerning the work of the 
benevolent Boards and Agencies of the Church. 

It should appoint from its membership the following: 

a. A director of stewardship. 

b. A director of missionary education. 

c. A director of every-member rnobilization. 

d. A director of budget and every-member canvass. 

e. A director for the work of the missionary and benevolent 
boards. It is particularly desirable that the directors of 
stewardship and of missionary education should be members 
of the Committee on Christian Education. 

Each director so chosen should have the privilege of asso- 


168 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


ciating with himself or herself two or more persons, either 
within or without the membership of the council; such persons 
should, when approved by the council, be constituted as Com- 
mittees on Stewardship, Missionary Education, Every-Mem- 
ber Mobilization, Budget and Every-Member Canvass, and 
Missionary and Benevolent Boards, in addition to the Com- 
mittee on Christian Education. 

Each committee, upon the request of the session or other 
official board of the church, should report to the council its 
proposed program for the ensuing year. These projected 
schedules should then be codrdinated by the council, arranged 
into a chronological schedule which may be presented to the 
session or governing board of the church for its review and 
approval, and published to the congregation not later than 
the first of April of each year. This schedule should outline 
the constructive work of the year undertaken by all the organ- 
izations of the congregation. 

The council may create any other committees which seem 
advantageous in the carrying on of its work. 

The council shall report to the session at least once every 
three months, giving full outline of its plans and proposed pro- 
gram, and making such recommendation for sessional action 
as may seem desirable. The council shall receive from the 
session directions for the undertaking of any activities which it 
desires to see carried out in the congregation, and shall at all 
times be subject to the supervision of the session in its policies 
and activities. 

The council should make a report at the annual congre- 
gational meeting to inform the congregation at large of its 
activities and plans. 


2. Tue Grour SYSTEM 


According to this method of organization the entire parish 
is divided into geographical districts, with a superintendent 
or captain over each district. All the members of the church 
and congregation in each district are then gathered into neigh- 
borhood groups and a leader appointed for each group. So 
far as possible each group contains representatives of the 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 169 


Sunday school, missionary societies, men’s and Young People’s 
societies, and of the various church committees, councils, and 
boards. 

This is one of the encouraging signs of developing efficiency 
in the Church to-day. It is the method Christ himself em- 
ployed when he commanded his disciples to group the people 
in companies of fifty on the grass, that they might feed the 
multitude. It is the way Israel was organized, by tribes and 
families, about the tabernacle, each with an assigned task. 

The pastor of a country church says: “We divided our 
eighty members into three groups, assigning an elder to lead 
each group, with a man and two women to assist him. Each 
group leader, with helpers in his district, promoted attend- 
ance at church, the Sunday school, the men’s Bible class, the 
Endeavor society, and the women’s organization. They made 
the financial canvass, called on newcomers and on the sick, 
and led their groups in every possible way.” 

A city church of over two thousand members is divided 
into eighty groups, arranged in sixteen districts, which in 
turn constitute two divisions. Over each division is a major 
for men and a major for women, who supervise the work of 
the division. The divisions compete as to activities and re- 
sults. The majors oversee the captains of districts. Each 
district has a captain for women and a captain for men, who 
oversee the group leaders—one woman and one man in each 
group. The four majors and thirty-two captains are carefully 
selected and officially designated. Through the busy church 
seasons, they meet monthly for conference, to plan the codrdi- 
nation of their work with the church’s complete program. 
Through these districts and groups, all church activities are 
promoted. 

One church of a thousand members reports that its groups 
were first organized, as “eight-week mission” study and discus- 
sion groups,” an average of two hundred and fifty-eight per- 
sons a week meeting in eighteen groups. The methods varied 
with the group leaders. In all cases, a chapter was read aloud, 
discussion being prearranged. These group mission-study 
meetings were also made occasions for sociability, for inter- 


170 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


esting unchurched neighbors, for prayer and efforts to develop 
the devotional life of the church, and for promoting 
attendance and efficiency. : 
The following suggestions gathered from the experience of 
many churches will help to make this method successful: 


(1) Prepare the minds of officers first, and then of the peo- 
ple, before trying to organize. 

(2) Adapt as well as adopt the plan. 

(3) Do not attempt many or difficult things at first. Dis- 
trict and group leaders must have time to find them- 
selves and to learn to work together. 

(4) Hold regular conferences of church officers and all dis- 
trict and group leaders, for reports, discussion of plans, 
prayer, and fellowship. Written monthly reports from 
groups increase efficiency. 

(5) An every-member social visitation of the whole con- 
gregation, “a call without a haul,” is one of the very 
best ways to introduce the group system into a church. 
Be sure to give the group visitors some communication, 
such as a schedule of coming events, to leave in the 
homes they visit. 

(6) Do not insist upon group leaders being the canvassers 
in the every-member financial canvass. There are 
often cogent reasons why they will not make the best 
canvassers. 

(7) Cultivate in group leaders a sense of fellowship with 
Christ in service. Cultivate neighborliness in the 
groups. One of the objects of this method of organiza- 
tion is to increase church family life. 

(8) Let churches which use the group system get together 
to exchange experiences, compare programs, and give 
mutual encouragement. 


There are nearly 25,000,000 Protestant Church members in 
the United States. Nothing is impossible to this army of the 
Lord Jesus Christ if it can be mobilized under his leadership 
for his program. 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 171 


The advantages of this method of church organization are 
at once manifest. 

a. It covers the whole parish. 

b. It reaches—in purpose and plan—every single member. 

c. It does not discard, but unifies and employs, all the 
societies and organizations that already exist. 

d. It recognizes central authority and guidance, thus mak- 
ing possible the codrdination of all forces in behalf of a 
definite program. 

e- It provides a permanent organization always ready for 
any service. 

f. It makes it possible for a pastor and his officers to keep 
in close touch with the whole congregation, no matter how 
large, and to find quickly the strangers who may move within 
the bounds of the parish. 

g. With centralized direction, it still affords the individual 
member the largest liberty, and thus brings out and trains 
a multitude of workers. 

This third method is being rapidly and widely adopted by 
churches both large and small, in the city, village, and coun- 
try. The Methodist Episcopal Church calls it ‘““The Unit 
System”; the Baptist Church, “The Family Group Plan”; 
the Presbyterian Church, “The Every-Member Group Plan”; 
Nearly all the leading Protestant denominations are promot- 
ing this method with gratifying success. 


3. ORGANIZATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE 


The group here considered includes the youth of the Church 
from birth to twenty-four years of age or thereabout. The 
characteristics and capacities of youth are so different at 
different ages that it is necessary to divide this group into 
subdivisions. The most acceptable subdivisions are those 
established as a result of Sunday-school grading. First, there 
are two mains divisions: 

a. Children’s Division; 

b. Young People’s Division. 

The Children’s Division is divided as follows: 

(1) Cradle Roll Department—Birth to 3 years. 


172 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


(2) Beginners Department—4 and 5 years. 

(3) Primary Department—6 to 8 years. 

(4) Junior Department—9 to 11 years. 

The Young People’s Division is divided as follows: 

(1) Intermediate Department—12 to 14 years. 

(2) Senior Department—15 to 17 years. 

(3) Young People’s Department—18 to 23 years. 

The age lines suggested in this system of Sunday-school 
grading are not followed entirely by organizations other than 
the Sunday school, but more and more the tendency is to 
accept these age lines in determining the grouping in all dif- 
ferent organizations for children and young people. 


a. Organizations for children. 

When organizing children for the broad program of Chris- 
tian education in the church, the Sunday school is the organ- 
ization almost universally established. It is recommended 
that there be a separate department with officers, room, and 
equipment for each of the following: (1) Cradle Roll; (2) 
Beginners; (8) Primary; (4) Juniors. 

The Daily Vacation Bible School program usually includes 
Beginners, Primary, and Junior children. A varied program 
of worship, instruction, and activity fills the forenoons of 
every day except Saturday and Sunday for several weeks, 
twenty-one days of work being the standard. Results reveal 
that this is a very constructive supplement to Sunday-school 
work. All necessary textbook materials are available. In 
addition to the Vacation Bible Schools, churches are estab- 
lishing the week-day church school. This plan gives one or 
more hours of instruction on a week day each week to 
religious education, sometimes in public-school time, some- 
times after the public-school session. Courses of study espe- 
cially prepared for week-day schools of the Primary and 
Junior groups in the children’s-age group are available. 

For the children there exist in a number of churches simple 
missionary organizations usually under the supervision of the 
missionary society of the local church. 

The Juniors are often organized into a Junior Christian 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 173 


Endeavor society or similar organization. For both the chil- 
dren’s missionary societies and the Junior society the age 
lines as established in the Sunday school are not very care- 
fully followed. 

The church that seeks to handle constructively the program 
of Christian education for the children will correlate the lead- 
ership, the program, and the organizations so that there will 
be sufficient organization to make the program effective, but 
no more. 7 | 


b. Organizations for young people. 

It must be kept in mind that this group is divided into three 
age groups as follows: 

(1) Intermediates, ages 12 to 14. 

(2) Seniors, ages 15 to 17. 

(3) Young People, ages 18 to 23 or thereabout. 

The fact that the name of the group as a whole, “Young 
People,” and the name of the subdivision, “Young People,” is 
the same is apt to cause a little confusion, but this can hardly 
be avoided. Only under most unusual conditions should the 
group be treated as a whole. The most generally maintained 
organization is of course the Sunday school. The church 
building does not always permit a separate departmental 
room for each group. In this case the Intermediates and 
Seniors may form one department and the Young People 
another, or where this is impossible, the class must become the 
basis of age-group division. 

(1) Intermediate organizations. 

The ideal seems to be an Intermediate Department in the 
Sunday school, with officers, teachers, department assembly 
room, classrooms, and equipment. Classes should be organ- 
ized, and these classes often become the unit of organization 
for specialized clubs for boys and for girls. In addition to 
the Sunday school, Intermediate Christian Endeavor societies 
are quite common. The age lines for these societies are not 
so carefully drawn as in the Sunday school, but often include 
pupils twelve to seventeen years of age. Wherever practi- 
cable, the Intermediates of the Sunday school should be the 


174 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


basis of organization for the Intermediate society. This 
society is organized with an adult superintendent or adult 
supervision, Intermediate officers and committees. 

Specialized clubs for boys and girls are very numerous for 
this age group. The majority of them are extra-Church 
organizations. That is they are either interdenominational 
or nonsectarian. Many individual organizations are com- 
posed wholly of the boys or girls of a local church and are 
thus under Church control, which is recommended. These 
organizations capitalize the natural instincts and interests of 
boys and girls of Intermediate years and, through organiza- 
tion and adult leadership, often make a splendid contribution 
to character development. The great majority of these organ- 
izations are religious. A few are distinctly Christian in aim. 
The Boy Scout movement, the Pioneers related to the Young 
Men’s Christian Association, the Knights of King Arthur, and 
the Kappa Sigma Pi, are a few of the well-known organiza- 
tions for boys. The Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Girl Re- 
serves, related to the Young Women: s Christian Association, 
are a xe of the well-known girls’ clubs. 

A few of the denominations have developed specialized 
clubs for boys and for girls, the most conspicuous being the 
missionary societies or organizations for girls, usually con- 
nected with the woman’s missionary movement of the 
denomination. 

(2) Senior organizations. 

A Senior Department in the Sunday school is recommended 
whenever possible. An Intermediate-Senior Department is 
a second choice. Senior classes should be organized. 

In the Christian Endeavor organization the Seniors are 
often included with the Intermediates, the society name being 
“Intermediate Society.” 

The club life for Senior boys and Senior girls parallels that 
for the Intermediates. All the national organizations for the 
promotion of specialized clubs for boys or girls receive them 
at twelve years of age and retain them through the seven- 
teenth year. The Vacation Bible School includes pupils of 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 175 


Intermediate age. The week-day church school is planned 
for both Intermediates and Seniors. 

(3) Young People’s organizations. 

In this age group, young people are rapidly approaching 
adult life and the responsibilities related thereto. Their in- 
terests, capacities, and training are quite different from those 
of Intermediates and Seniors. A Young People’s Department 
in the Sunday school is very desirable. The responsibility for 
its organization, leadership, and work should rest mainly 
with the young people themselves. However, an adult coun- 
selor is desirable as an officer, and adult teachers should be 
provided. In addition to an organized Young People’s De- 
partment, the classes may well be organized. 

The Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor has a 
program well adapted to the development of this age group 
and its greatest success has been within this group. The 
young people are the officers, committee chairmen, and lead- 
ers. Many societies have one or more society counselors. A 
comprehensive program is undertaken that supplements the 
work of the Sunday school. 

Special clubs for young men and young women are not 
very numerous. The programs of the Sunday school or the 
Young People’s society, or both, often include the special 
interest that the club has for boys and girls. Nevertheless, 
there are clubs in local churches which are seldom connected 
with any national organizations. 

For young men there may be a brotherhood, an ushers’ 
association, an athletic association or team, or some other 
form of young men’s club. 

For young women there is often a missionary society, an 
integral part of the denominational organization. Other or- 
ganizations include such service organizations as a sewing 
circle, or athletic teams. 

No church can embody in its program all available organ- 
izations. The aim of this section has been to present the 
possibilities. A well-rounded program of Christian education 
cannot be carried out successfully through a number of unre- 
lated organizations challenging the same young people. The 


176 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


leaders of all phases of work for the age group must come 
together. Through them a comprehensive program must be 
worked out and the organizations correlated. The young 
people themselves should have a large place in developing the 
plans. The work for the young people is related to the work 
for all others in the church through the church council of 
Christian education, which is fully outlined in another 
chapter. 


4. ORGANIZATIONS OF MEN 


Men’s work demands wise planning and supervision in 
every local church. Organization is as necessary here as in 
any other institution. There must be a clear understanding 
of the purpose of every organization and of the work which 
it is designed to accomplish. The purpose of men’s work, in 
general, should be to enlist, to train, and to mobilize all the 
men of the congregation in the various activities in which they 
may be employed. Whether the organization be called a 
brotherhood, league, association, club, or an organized Bible 
class, its success will depend largely upon the definiteness 
and importance of its aim. 

Many familiar causes of failure must be avoided: 


a. Some organizations of men have been merely social clubs. 
Earnest men who are accustomed to serious tasks elsewhere 
will not be satisfied with a men’s organization in the church 
which is simply social. A social organization cannot be 
grafted into a spiritual institution. 


b. Other organizations have been nothing more than Bible 
classes. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the value 
of a Bible class; at the same time, the men of a church must 
do more than maintain a class for Bible study which is a 
means of training rather than a form of service. 


c. Many organizations have failed for want of leaders. The 
main responsibility rests upon the pastor, and if he does not 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION ale ir 


find men capable of being leaders, he must train men for such 
positions. 


d. Still other organizations have failed because they have 
had no definite program of activities. Here again the respon- 
sibility must rest with the pastor. Many pastors spend a 
large part of their vacations planning church activities for 
the year. If a portion of this were given to framing a pro- 
gram for the men of their congregations there would be fewer 
failures and disappointments. 


If men’s work is to be successful, it will be necessary to 
make an annual canvass determining: 

a. The men who are members of the Church; their number, 
their church attendance, relationships, and work. 

b. The men of the congregation who have not joined the 
Church, the Bible class or other men’s organization. 

c. The men of the community who are not identified with 
any church. 

The following departments of work may be established: 

a. Bible-study and mission-study classes, with definite 
goals as to enrollment and attendance. 

b. Public meetings and publicity. A series of public meet- 
ings may be held each year in addition to those of the study 
classes. Series of fellowship-dinner meetings are effective in 
promoting acquaintance and friendship; they provide oppor- 
tunities also for discussion and for helpful instruction. The 
assistance of the men is secured in building up the Sunday- 
evening service, In arranging various anniversary programs, 
in aiding with the newspaper publicity, and in distributing the 
literature provided for the congregation by the Boards and 
Agencies of the Church. 

c. Evangelism. Study courses in evangelism may be or- 
ganized, and the men may be induced to codperate heartily in 
supporting evangelistic meetings in the local church, or in 
conducting meetings in outside communities. They may be 
persuaded to help in meetings on the streets, in factories, 


178 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


prisons, fire departments, and in other places where groups of 
men can be reached. 

d. Boys’ work. One of the annual meetings may be the 
boys’ night. The boys of high-school age may be invited and 
assigned to a special table in the dining room. The men of 
the church may provide and supervise summer and winter 
recreations for boys, and .hold meetings for vocational 
geuldance. 

e. Stewardship. The men of the church may organize 
classes for the study of stewardship; they may take part in 
the every-member canvass; may form tithing clubs, and may 
organize for the support of missionary work. 

f. Spiritual life. The men of the church should be enlisted 
in united action aiming to secure the erection of family altars, 
the habit of daily Bible-reading, and the support of specific 
religious activities. 

g. Community service. Each community will have needs 
demanding the service of the men’s organizations of the local 
churches. 

A men’s organization which is to aid in the development 
of these important phases of modern church activity will do 
well to adopt a simple constitution, specifying: The name of 
the organization; its purpose; the conditions of membership; 
its officers; its standing committees; and the times of its 
regular business, social, and annual meetings. In some cases 
members are required to sign the constitution and to pay an 
annual fee, but more usually every man of the church is re- 
garded as a member of the organization, and, if arrangements 
can be made, is assigned some definite work. Interest is often 
fostered by union or affiliation with state and national or- 
ganizations of the same nature. One notably successful 
church is being aided in its work by the following committees 
of men: Church Attendance; Sunday School; Visitation; 
Hotel; Schools and Colleges; Entertainment; Newcomers; 
New Members; Prayer Meeting; Orphanage; Boys’ Work; 
Care of the Sick; Church Extension; Publicity. 

Every man in the church should be assigned a definite task 
in connection with one of such a list of committees. 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 179 


5. ORGANIZATIONS OF WOMEN 


a. The importance of women’s work in the church and the 
various societies organized for different forms of work. For 
devotion, persistence, intelligence, and general efficiency the 
women’s organizations of the local church are usually in 
advance of every other department, unless it be the Sunday 
school, and even there women have had much to do with 
the organization, teaching force, and success. 

Besides participating in the general work of the church, the 
women have quite generally maintained an aid society and 
one or more missionary societies in the interest of home and 
foreign missions. The aid societies—pastor’s or parish aids, 
as they are variously known—have long been a decided factor 
in the life of the church because they have met the needs 
which were unmet or which it seemed impossible for the 
church as a whole to meet. The women organized themselves 
in the early days of the Church in America, when its money 
resources were scarce, to keep in order and in repair the 
simpler furnishings of the church buildings. They further 
banded themselves together in prayer circles. They next met 
certain social needs of the main organization. Finally, in 
many a local church, the women became the dominant and 
deciding factor in the support of the organization, through 
their ability and willingness to raise money in various ways. 
These societies have supplied funds to meet every material 
need of the church, from kitchen equipment to manses and 
pipe organs. Some of these organizations also have done, 
and continue to do, much admirable local philanthropic and 
charitable work, and some have given assistance to the 
Boards of Ministerial Relief. 

About three generations ago, a small group of women in the 
Church saw the need of women and children beyond the 
bounds of their own parishes. They began to organize mis- 
sion circles, women’s missionary societies, and auxiliaries for 
the purpose of spreading missionary information and raising 
a special offering with which to send the gospel to women 
and children in non-Christian lands, as well as to those in 


180 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


our own country. Subsequently other women’s organizations, 
such as the King’s Daughters, various types of guilds, and 
organizations especially planned to meet the needs of the 
younger women of the church have come into evidence. 
The objectives of these are various, but in the main they 
have a missionary, philanthropic, or literary aim. 

The opportunities for self-expression and for the develop- 
ment that comes through having responsibility are as neces- 
sary to women as to men. This fact, coupled with the spirit 
of sympathy, sacrifice, and service inherent in Christian wom- 
anhood, has ever made the women of our parishes active in 
church and missionary work. It seems needless to say that 
women have an individual and distinctive contribution to 
give to the development of the life of any church, and there- 
fore should be related in as large a way as possible to plans 
and programs looking toward such development. 


b. The best method of codrdinating these societies in a 
local church. The spirit of combination and codperation, 
characteristic of these times, the pronounced demand for 
more efficiency in all organizations, and the need for the con- 
servation of time, is leading, in many instances, to the coéor- 
dination of all the women’s and young women’s societies in 
a given church into one organization called a federation or 
women’s association; for in some cases the aid societies and 
missionary societies have been divisive elements in the church 
and not properly codrdinated and correlated with the rest 
of the church life. The factors needed to unify the women’s 
work in the local church are three: 

(1) A pastor who is sympathetic and intelligent regarding 
the missionary work of the church and the women’s part in 
that program. | 

(2) A federated society combining in one organization, 
with the necessary departments, all the women’s activities of 
the church. 

(3) An understanding on the part of all the women of the 
church that in the past, as women, they have been securing 
too large a portion of their benevolent funds at the expense of 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 181 


life, and not enough as a result of life, that the “serving of 
tables” is less important than the nurture of spiritual graces 
and the witness to Christian truth. 

When the various organizations of women have been care- 
fully correlated and well organized, they have proved most 
effective in bringing about the desired results of power and 
unity. 

The following is the plan that has been followed most 
successfully in one church: 


“The society is known as the Woman’s Association. It aims to 
enlist the active or sympathetic interest of every woman in the church; 
the membership fee is made small (fifty cents) so as not to be a burden 
to anyone; sewing and missionary meetings are held on the same day 
of the week; knowledge of what each department is doing is given 
by a report from each, read at a united monthly meeting; sympathy 
and sociability are promoted by thus bringing together those who have 
various interests at heart. Tuesday is Woman’s Day. All who are 
able, come at two o’clock and spend an hour in sewing, after which 
a varied program is presented. The first Tuesday in each month is 
given to the business meeting; the second, to Home Missions; the 
third, to the Home Department; the fourth, to Foreign Missions; and 
the occasional fifth, to a literary or musical entertainment. 

The officers of the association comprise a president, three vice pres- 
idents, a recording secretary, a corresponding secretary, a treasurer, and 
an auditor. 

“The association is divided into four departments, (1) Foreign Mis- 
sions. (2) Home Missions. Each with a chairman, assistant chairman, 
secretary, and treasurer. (3) Home, aiming to help the mothers of the 
church and congregation in the spiritual, education and practical duties 
of the home. (4) Church Work, composed of the following subcom- 
mittees; (a) Entertainment, having charge of the monthly suppers, and 
other entertainments; (b) Work, charged with purchasing materials, 
preparing the sewing for the regular meetings, and having oversight of 
missionary boxes; (c) Relief, expected to aid the pastor in visiting and 
providing for the sick and needy; (d) Literary, responsible for pro- 
grams of general interest when such are required; (e) Hospitality, 
assigned the duty of welcoming and caring for strangers; (f) Library, 
asked to secure, circulate, and care for best and latest literature for the 
departments; (g) Finance, asked to present a list of yearly appropria- 
tions and to devise plans for securing pledges and memberships; (h) 
House, charged with care of table linen and all kitchen utensils. 

“This organization reported two hundred and sixty members. It is 
described with considerable fullness in order that other churches, 
according to their needs and as may be best suited to their conditions, 


182 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


may be helped by it to unify the many organizations that sometimes 
tend to overlap or to get into one another’s way. Above all, it illus- 
trates forcibly the prominent and legitimate place that woman has won 
for herself in local churches and the stimulus imparted by her enthusi- 
asm and devotion to all its activities.” 


c. Methods of conducting women’s missionary work in 
a local church. Of the various societies or committees of 
women in any individual church, the most important are those 
which are engaged in supporting and furthering the work 
of Christian missions. 

All local societies should be jointly organized for the work 
at home and abroad, as practically all the plans for the con- 
duct and methods of work are identical. However, as separate 
apportionments come to the local society for home and 
foreign work, the budget of each society should keep these 
items distinct, and also separate from all other funds, whether 
for benevolences or for the expenses of the society itself. 

All these apportionments and expenses should be included 
in the annual budget which the society adopts. In raising this 
annual budget, two different methods are in vogue. In many 
churches the women keep the budget of all their organizations 
quite distinct from that of the church budget, giving as in- 
dividuals first to the budget of the church and then, as extra 
subscriptions, contributing to the budget of their own societies 
and securing additional gifts from interested people. Accord- 
ing to the second method, the budget of the women’s societies 
is united with the budget of the church and the whole sum is 
secured by an every-member canvass, a definite share of the 
funds contributed being then apportioned to the women’s 
organizations. There are certain advantages in each method, 
as well as certain difficulties. The first capitalizes the in- 
telligent enthusiasm and devotion of the women which other- 
wise possibly might be lessened or lost. The advantage of 
the second is that it binds into unity the entire work of the 
church, and brings into that work the spirit and energy which 
women have constantly shown in the prosecution of their 
own activities. As some one has said, “It substitutes a 
centralized goal for a target with different centers.” 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 183 


In the organization of the missionary societies of the 
local church, it is well to adopt the rule of rotation in office, 
the officers being elected in classes so that all do not go out of 
service at any one election. Then, too, there should be an 
effort to discover and to train new leaders upon whom 
official responsibilities may be placed. Ruts, stagnation and 
monotony in program, method, and effort are due largely 
to the failure to secure the services of new workers. Officers 
should be elected at least three months in advance of their 
term of office, so that the new Executive Committee, composed 
of the officers, may have time to make a complete survey of 
the local situation and to outline the policies for the ensuing 
year. Definiteness of aim is thus assured, and definiteness of 
aim makes for success. 

One specific purpose of the new officers should be to enlist as 
members of the society all the women of the church and 
congregation. This may be done through a special Committee 
on Extension, or Membership, or Hospitality. Annual mem- 
bership canvasses are conducted in some of the larger 
churches. Sometimes a town is districted, with special chair- 
men appointed for each of the districts. It is well to have a 
card catalogue of all the women in the church which may also 
give information as to the work in which each is engaged, or 
for which each is qualified. The pastor or clerk of the session 
should be requested to give to the secretaries of the women’s 
societies the names of all the women who join the church. 

In consultation with the pastor and the church council on 
Christian education, with the codperation of the director of 
missionary education, a carefully outlined program of mis- 
sionary promotion and education should be developed under 
the leadership of special Committees on Literature, Publicity, 
Program and Missionary Education. This education may be 
fostered through interesting and diversified monthly programs, 
the dissemination of missionary literature and magazines, 
mission-study classes, reading circles, reading contests, and 
well-chosen and wisely used missionary libraries. There 
should be active codperation in reaching women, young 
people, and children in conducting one or more church schools 


184 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


of missions, and in preparing a comprehensive program of 
missionary education for the whole church. 

In codperation with the pastor a Devotional Committee 
should develop a program of prayer by means of education 
and stimulation, thus securing a more universal practice of 
intercessory prayer for missions. 

Steps also should be taken to awaken and develop in all 
the women of the church a true and Scriptural view of the 
stewardship of life and of property. Such instruction, how- 
ever, will naturally form a part of the general educational 
policy of the whole church. When the principles of Christian 
stewardship have been accepted, when the specific missionary 
task of the women has been presented to their societies, and 
when the apportionments for home and foreign work have 
been accepted, the obligation of each local society will surely 
be met and the women’s organization in the local church will 
cooperate faithfully with the efforts of the whole Church at 
home and abroad. 


d. The relation of the local societies to Church Boards 
and Agencies. A local women’s missionary society or de- 
partment is one link in a carefully codrdinated organization. 
There are a series of links from local societies to national or 
denominational Boards. The unit is the society in the local 
church, called the “auxiliary,” the “circle,” the “branch,” or 
the “parish society”; next is the district organization in which 
a number of local societies are joined, known in the Baptist 
and Congregational denominations as the ‘“‘Associational,” in 
the Presbyterian and United Presbyterian as the ‘‘Presbyterial 
Society,” in the Friends and Free Baptist as the “Quarterly 
Meeting,” and in the Reformed as the ‘Classical Society.” 
Next in rank are the state organizations called by the Pres- 
byterian, Lutheran, and Reformed denominations the 
“Synodical Society,” by the Episconal the “Diocesan,” by the 
Methodist and Christian the “Conference,” by the Congrega- 
tional, Canadian Methodist, and United Brethren the 
“Branch,” by the Friends and Free Baptist the “Yearly Meet- 
ing,” and by others simply the “State Society.” The latter 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 185 


organizations do not always conform to state boundaries, 
but in the majority of cases that classification holds good. 

Although variously designated as a “Society,” “Union,” 
“Council,” “Auxiliary,” “Association,” or as a “Board,” the 
great general organization is that body which unites the 
women of a denomination either nationally or in a specific 
division of territory. Some of these Women’s Boards are 
incorporated and independent bodies; some are auxiliary to 
the central boards of their churches; some are organic parts 
of the general Boards; in some cases representatives of the 
women’s societies are elected to the Church Boards. In the 
last case the women usually constitute one third of the mem- 
bership of the general Board, furnish usually one third 
or more of the secretarial force, and often send in recom- 
mendations through a Women’s Committee. The Missionary 
Board of the Disciples of Christ consists of equal numbers 
of men and women. 

The Boards usually formulate general policies and recom- 
mend a financial apportionment or appropriation for each 
branch or state organization. It is customary for these in 
turn to send down plans of work and an approved proportion 
of the state apportionment to each district organization. The 
local society in turn receives its instructions and financial 
apportionment and is auxiliary to the district organization. 


e. The Need to Perpetuate Women’s Organizations. Among 
the most distinctive contributions of the women’s societies 
to missionary administration is this very highly specialized, 
subdivided, yet exceedingly simple organization by which 
they can reach from headquarters to the remotest auxiliary 
with appeal and information. Another contribution has been 
the demonstration of the power of small offerings frequently 
collected from a large number of contributors. They also 
devised the “light infantry of misionary literature,’ pub- 
lishing leaflets, stories, poems, and admirable brief sum- 
maries of missionary news; and thus began the modern pop- 
ularizing of missions. 

The Women’s Boards did not stop here, but were the 


186 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


pioneers in the publication of textbooks for the interdenomi- 
national study of missions, in the promotion of the use of 
these books, and in the organization of summer schools of 
missions where leaders could be trained to teach these books. 

Furthermore, the spiritual emphasis which has been char- 
acteristic of the women’s missionary societies has resulted in 
the enrichment of the spiritual life of countless churches in 
America; it has resulted in the giving of thousands of lives 
to home and foreign missionary service; it has secured the 
funds to carry on a large part of the missionary work in which 
the evangelical Churches are engaged. 

The women of the church not only have given loyally to 
the benevolent Boards of the Church and helped with much 
of the local church support, but they also have carried the 
heavy responsibility of special missionary work for women, 
and have made a large contribution to local philanthropy, 
social betterment, and the physical and social needs of their 
communities. 

In the present movement toward the unification and con- 
solidation of Church societies and agencies, the women’s or- 
ganizations in the local church must not be destroyed. They 
must be developed, projected, and properly related to all the 
other activities of the church. 


6. Tuer OrriciAL BoARDS AND THE CHURCH COURTS 


The relation of the pastor to the officers of his church should 
be one of wise leadership, of cordial codperation, and of close 
fellowship. He must never assume the position of an auto- 
crat, nor should he encourage any group of church officials to 
domineer over their fellow Christians. He himself should 
endeavor to show, and to impart to his fellow officers, a spirit 
of sympathetic oversight and of humble service. 

Every proper influence should be used by him to see that 
men of the highest qualifications are chosen for positions of 
responsibility, trust, and spiritual leadership. 

To prevent undue concentration of power, and to enlist the 
largest possible number in the most important activities of 
the church, it is becoming increasingly common to elect mem- 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 187 


bers of official boards for a limited number of years, allow- 
ing no one to be a candidate for reélection within one year 
after the completion of his term of service. 

While no maximum number of members is usually specified, 
it is well to have the governing boards of a church as large as 
may be possible. The meetings of these boards should be at 
stated and not infrequent intervals and attendance upon these 
meetings should be regarded as a sacred duty. 

In virtue of his office, the pastor will be expected to serve 
as moderator; as such he must convene and adjourn the meet- 
ings; he must propose the items of business; he must preserve 
order and see that all deliberations and actions are in accord- 
ance with the requirements of parliamentary law and of 
Christian courtesy; he must put all questions and call for all 
votes and, in case of a tie, must cast the deciding ballot. 

It is unwise, however, for him to allow his official boards to 
be divided, even by a single vote, if this can possibly be 
avoided. When a very decided difference of opinion is evi- 
denced in debate, it is best to defer action until a time when 
more unanimity can be reached. It is only in cases of abso- 
lute necessity that any serious work should be undertaken, or 
any important policy adopted, on a divided vote. In the 
courts of some large and prosperous churches, during long 
periods of years, every vote has been unanimous. Differences 
of view usually resolve themselves into questions of good 
humor, of perspective, and of patience. 

The officers of the church should be appointed to serve on 
a number of special committees concerned with the music, 
the benevolences, the Council of Christian Education, the use 
of church buildings, and similar matters. Every effort should 
be made by the pastor to induce his elders to assume as large 
a range of responsibilities as they are willing to accept, not 
only for his own relief, but for their spiritual development, 
and for the best interests of the church. 

He should advise his church officers to ascertain accurately 
the laws which concern their own responsibilities, which con- 
trol the conduct of congregational meetings, and which define 


188 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the nature and the functions of the other boards and of the 
higher courts of the Church. 

The pastor sustains relationships, however, not only to the 
official boards of his own church but also to the higher courts of 
his denomination. He must be faithful in performing his 
duties to the presbytery, the synod, the conference, the asso- 
ciation, or other church court*or assembly of which, in virtue 
of his office, he is a member. The seriousness of the respon- 
sibilities which devolve upon these bodies should make him 
willing to assume his part in the activities which determine 
in so large a measure the peace and purity and prosperity of 
the church. If possible, he should attend every meeting of these 
courts and assume his proportionate share of their work. 
Neglect of these tasks throws an unfair burden upon his 
fellow ministers, and denies to his own congregation many 
benefits which would result from his attendance upon the 
deliberation of the bodies with which his church is vitally 
connected. Upon these bodies rests the responsibility of ad- 
judicating questions of discipline, of admitting candidates to 
the ministry, of appointing representatives to the higher 
courts, of formulating policies for the promotion of mission 
work at home and abroad, and of planning wisely for all that 
concerns the work of the denomination as well as of those sister 
Churches with which it is in fellowhip and correspondence. 
It is very important that his personal obligations to these 
courts should be recognized fully by every pastor, lest, through 
selfishness, carelessness, or neglect, he may fail to take his 


full share in furthering the general interests of the universal 
Church. 


7. Tur DENOMINATIONAL AGENCIES 


When the care of the poor in the early Christian Church 
overtaxed the time and strength of the apostles, they were 
led by the Spirit to appoint a board of deacons to take charge 
of the work. In all ages since, the Church has thus been led 
to cope with its ever-expanding tasks by organizing Commit- 
tees and Boards, to whose oversight specific duties could be 
intrusted. By such division of work and organization of 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 189 


forces, the Church has steadily increased her capacity and 
her efficiency. 

Through such organized Agencies in each denomination, 
the gospel is being preached, churches planted, hospitals for 
the sick and homes for the aged and orphans started and sup- 
ported, the Bible disseminated, Christian schools and colleges 
founded and sustained. A very large proportion of the evan- 
gelistic, educational, philanthropic, and community welfare 
work of the Churches is done through these Boards. Christian 
denominations employ thousands of men and women, and 
annually gather millions of dollars in order to meet their 
delegated responsibilities. 

These Boards are not outside agencies. They have been 
organized by their denominations in order to carry on more 
effectively the work committed by Christ to the Church. 
If there were no Boards, each Christian and each church 
would still be under overwhelming obligation to help make 
disciples and teach them, throughout this country and 
throughout the world, in obedience to the last command of 
Christ. The question arises: “How can the individual church 
and its members insure that their missionary and benevolent 
contributions shall be most wisely and economically in- 
vested?’ In answer to this question, denominations have 
erected Boards to employ the most competent and consecrated 
leaders available, so as to assure all churches and their mem- 
bers of the largest results from their contributions. Such 
Boards create no obligation—they permit Christians to dis- 
charge, in the wisest way, their missionary obligations created 
by Christ. 

Each pastor, as the executive head of his church, charged 
with developing its efficiency in service, has very definite 
duties towards the Agencies of his denomination: 


a. He should be personally interested in their work since 
they are discharging duties devolving upon himself and his 
church. He should know in what fields they operate, what 
forces they employ, and what budgets they need. Their 
success or failure is an index of the progress of Christ’s King- 


190 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


dom. As a commissioned officer, he will strive to know the 
news from the forefront of the armies of his Lord. To be 
thus enlightened, he should study the reports issued by these 
Boards, together with leaflets, magazines, and books dealing 
with their work. The annual reports are valuable mines of 
information. 


b. The pastor is also responsible for enlightening his people 
as to the work of such Agencies. His interest will kindle 
interest, but the fullest codperation of all the members waits 
upon patient, persistent, organized education concerning these 
Boards, their opportunities and activities, and the respon- 
sibilities of the church for their adequate support. 

In educating his people, the pastor will use sermons and 
other services, will provide paragraphs relating to the Boards 
in the newspapers and church calendars, and will refer to their 
work in conversation and in his prayers. These Agencies will 
gladly furnish pastors with interesting leaflets, illustrated lec- 
tures, missionary magazines with fascinating illustrations, 
textbooks for study classes, missionary pageants, dramas, and 
expositions. 

These Boards have Departments at headquarters and 
trained workers in the field to help develop educational pro- 
grams. Schools of missions are in operation in thousands of 
churches, wherein millions have studied correlated courses, 
setting forth the work of denominational Agencies. In multi- 
tudes of churches the midweek service is now turned into a 
“church-night program,” usually with a church-family supper, 
followed by two periods, one devotional, the other occupied by 
classes for the study of the church’s various responsibilities 
and activities. 


c. Each pastor, too, is responsible for recruiting workers 
and gathering funds for the Agencies which represent his 
Church throughout the world. Without men and money they 
cannot do their work. Between them and the needed men 
and money, the pastor is the living link. He can make or 
break the connection. His is a solemn responsibility. To 
ignore the rightful claims of these Agencies because of local 


CHURCH ORGANIZATION 1g 


pressure for improvements or for community work is to 
betray those whom their Church has sent to mission fields, 
forcing the home and foreign missionaries and their work to 
contribute to local causes. 

The pastors and officers of increasing numbers of churches 
have adopted the motto, “As much for others as for our- 
selves,” thus saving themselves from the temptations of 
ecclesiastical selfishness. Thousands of Protestant churches 
have already attained this standard. Some contribute two or 
three times as much as they spend on themselves. Even poor 
churches should seek to contribute from twenty to fifty per 
cent of their offerings for world-wide work outside their 
parishes. In such churches, young people will receive a high 
conception of missionary work. Its romance, its spiritual 
adventure, its opportunities for the investment of life will 
win their hearty support, enlisting many of them for life 
service. 


d. The pastor will also contribute to the Boards for which 
he pleads. If his heart yearns for the coming of the Kingdom, 
if he is a real steward of the grace and gifts of God, if he 
knows the needs of the world, nothing can restrain him from 
sacrificial offerings. Only so can he expect to organize a 
successful every-member canvass or to teach stewardship and 
missions with power. 


e. Furthermore, pastors must ke willing to serve these 
Agencies as members of committees, and in volunteer field 
work. They will, without financial remuneration, find large 
compensation in the resulting enlargement of their own knowl- 
edge and vision, the development of their powers, and the 
joy of working with Christ. 


f. Finally, it is also a pastor’s privilege “to codperate by 
prayer” for such Agencies and for those who manage their 
funds and work. If Paul needed such help, so do these self- 
sacrificing workers—secretaries, missionaries, teachers, doc- 
tors, colporteurs. Few duties resting upon pastors are more 
important than that of teaching their people, by personal 
example and public petitions, how to work by prayer. 


CHAPTER VIII 
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 
1. Irs NATURE AND NECESSITY 


Church organization and church administration are closely 
related, yet they are distinct in their nature, as the former 
is concerned with preparing instruments for service, the latter 
with using such instruments to secure desired results. It is 
one thing to set up a machine and another to run it. Some 
pastors are good organizers, but poor administrators; while 
others, who have little genius for organization, have been 
called to churches already well organized and there have suc- 
ceeded admirably in carrying on the work which was already 
in operation. However, whether one possesses much or little 
genius for this part of his pastoral work, the opportunities of 
the present time and the demands of modern church life make 
it absolutely necessary for the pastor patiently and persist- 
ently to address himself to this task. 

It demands sacrifice of time and effort. No one need 
imagine that the administration of a modern parish will care 
for itself, or that one who succeeds does so merely by virtue 
of peculiar endowments. Abilities do differ, but success here 
depends largely upon the ability to continue uncomplainingly 
at hard work. The pastor must be in sympathy with the 
workers. He must be a leader, if his church organizations are 
to function properly. He cannot merely command; he cannot 
employ laborers to do this work for him. He cannot stand 
at a distance and look upon what others are doing. He must 
cultivate close friendships with the heads of his departments, 
and must show his approval of their work and commend them 
for their fidelity. The workers demand continual supervision. 

192 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 193 


At frequent and stated intervals the pastor must meet with 
the responsible heads of the various organizations to acquaint 
himself with their problems, and must counsel as to the 
methods by which-difficulties may be overcome and efficiency 
may be increased. While he himself does not do the work, he 
must be the directing head of all the church activities. 

He must make a constant study of the field and its needs. 
Conditions are continually changing, and the pastor must be 
able to note these changes and to adapt the various societies 
and organizations to meet the needs of the new conditions. 
The work demands steadfastness of purpose, a constant deter- 
mination to secure definite results, and perhaps. even such 
heroic measures as disbanding any society which lacks an aim 
or is not adapted to accomplish some worthy work. 

It demands proper equipment for the various forms of 
endeavor. The pastor must inspire his people by such a 
vision of the importance and possibilities of the work, that 
they will be ready to provide buildings, paid workers, and 
funds adequate to meet the needs of the enlarging activities. 

All these demands upon the pastor who is successfully 
administering a modern church are indeed exacting and bur- 
densome, but they are justified by the results which follow in 
vastly increased influence and power. One who neglects these 
duties of administration will see neighboring ministers, with 
perhaps much less ability as preachers, continually addressing 
far larger audiences than his own and accomplishing much 
more in the service of Christ. An excellent orator may, for 
a time, draw large congregations by the sheer force of his 
eloquence, or a gifted teacher may attract crowds by the 
stimulating character of his instruction; but most pastors will 
find that their pulpit ministrations are reaching decreasing 
numbers of people and are restricted in their influence, if the 
forces of the church are not organized and their activities are 
not wisely administered. The opportunities of the present 
day are so limitless, and on the other hand, the difficulties are 
so great, that every faithful pastor will be alert to discover 
the most efficient methods of organization, and will realize 


194 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


that the wise administration of his forces is an absolute con- 
dition of success in the service of the church. 


29. Tue CuHuRCcH BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


The complete equipment of a modern church includes not 
only a dignified house of worship but also a manse for the 
pastor, and a building for religious education and for all the 
diversified activities of the congregation. 

As to the church building proper, the first matter of im- 
portance is that of its location. A commanding site should be 
chosen, large enough to permit the advantageous erection of 
the structure with allowance for future additions. An obscure 
site on a side street, a plot of ground so small as to preclude 
expansion of the work, a location shut in by other buildings, or 
one incessantly subjected to noises from car lines and crowded 
thoroughfares, all greatly detract from the usefulness of a 
church edifice. In spite of any or all of these disadvantages, 
a church building may be useful when erected on such a site. 
Nevertheless, it is poor economy to purchase a site with such 
obvious disadvantages merely because it is inexpensive. If the 
plot of ground is desirably located, it usually increases rapidly 
in value. It aids greatly in strengthening the church organiza- 
tion and often it may be sold at a greatly increased price when 
a change of site becomes desirable. 

As to styles of architecture, tastes differ, but there is never 
any virtue in erecting an ugly building for the worship of 
God. The two most approved styles are the Gothic and the 
Georgian, or Colonial. The Gothic church with its high, narrow 
nave and deep choir is best adapted to Roman Catholic, 
Episcopal, and other liturgical services, in which preaching has 
a less prominent part, and the altar is the chief object of vision. 
The Gothic church should be built of stone with cut-stone 
trimmings and stained-glass windows of real artistic merit. 

A Georgian, or Colonial, church is much less expensive to 
build. It is easier to light and heat, and, as its width is much 
greater in comparison with its length, it will seat a larger 
congregation in proportion to its size and cost. It is more per- 
fectly adapted to a service in which preaching forms a prin- 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 195 


cipal part, as the acoustic properties are almost invariably 
better and the worshipers are more directly in front of the 
minister. It also facilitates the cultivation of congrega- 
tional singing and of united worship. It may be built of 
brick or wood as well as of stone, if these other materials are 
more available. It does not require stained-glass windows. 
For all these reasons this style of architecture is far more 
economical, while, if treated in good taste, it provides a struc- 
ture which is both dignified and suggestive of worship. 

The interior of the church should be devoid of elaborate 
ornamentation and of anything which suggests secular associa- 
tions. It should not be startling, but quiet, noble, beautiful. 

The central object of attention should not be the organ, but 
in liturgical churches the altar, surmounted by a cross, and in 
churches which emphasize the prophetic office of the ministry, 
the pulpit. The organ does not form a suitable background 
for the preacher. It should be at one side of the pulpit or 
at the opposite end of the church. 

The pulpit floor should be raised three or four feet above 
the level of the pews. In most churches, except the Gothic, 
the pulpit and reading desk are combined and placed in the 
center of the pulpit platform. This pulpit desk should be 
comparatively low, but made with a movable rest which may 
be raised and lowered for the Bible or manuscript. This desk 
should be furnished with an artificial light and with an 
inside shelf for books and papers. The pews should be in the 
form of cushioned benches. They should be placed usually in 
three blocks, with two side aisles. A center aisle is always dis- 
tressing to a sensitive speaker and it is unfortunate that it is 
often regarded as a necessity for the greater convenience of 
weddings and funerals. 

The church building should be kept scrupulously neat and 
clean. It should be well lighted, heated, and ventilated. In 
particular, the air should be changed before and after every 
service. Such ventilation is especially needed in case the 
auditorium has been previously used for the Sunday school 
or for some of its classes. 

Every church, if possible, should have a parish house, the 


196 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


first purpose of which should be to furnish accommodations 
for the Sunday school. The portion of the building designed 
for Christian education should include assembly rooms for the 
various departments and attached classrooms. It should be 
further provided with blackboards, class tables, maps, chairs, 
and other necessary accessories for Christian education. 

The parish house should contain, in addition to the provision 
for the church school, rooms for the use of the various church 
organizations, including dining room and kitchen, combination 
gymnasium and entertainment hall, club rooms for boys and 
girls, parlors, and a church office. : 


3. THe CuurcH OFFICE 


To some persons, who worship the past and are suspicious 
of anything new, the very phrase “church office” is a source of 
distress. They believe that a room for the transaction of busi- 
ness is displacing the study and the oratory in the life of 
the pastor. If the establishment of an office does mean less 
time for pulpit preparation, for prayer, and for pastoral visita- 
tion, then surely it involves loss and not gain; but if it means 
that sermons equally well prepared are to reach greatly in- 
creased congregations; if it means that prayers are to have 
wider scope and more definite purpose; if it means that the 
pastoral work is to be done with more system and more suc- 
cess, then it is certain that such an invaluable instrument 
should be provided for every pastor. 

The purpose of the church office is to centralize the work of 
the church and to make its activities easier and more efficient. 
The office is the place where information may be obtained 
concerning any of the church activities, and the place from 
which information is sent to all the members of the congre- 
gation. It also may furnish a conference room, where at 
stated periods the pastor can meet with any person who de- 
sires to ask his counsel or advice. 

Its location and equipment will vary with the size and 
character of the church. In the case of a small church, the 
pastor may need to combine his study and office, particularly 
if he has no assistant or secretary. Under these conditions, a 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 197 


room should be provided in the manse or the church and 
furnished with bookcases, a desk, a typewriter, a telephone, 
and files for church rolls, for correspondence, for church cal- 
endars, and for church records and reports. 

In a larger church, the study and office should occupy 
separate rooms, or even a suite of rooms. The office should 
be easy of access and its files and information and equipment 
should be at the service of all the various workers and organi- 
izations of the church. 

Here, to facilitate correspondence and publicity, and to 
assist in the issuing of letters, announcements, invitations, 
calendars, and reports, many modern labor-saving devices 
may be introduced, and a mimeograph or addressograph or 
printing machine may be employed, although some congrega- 
tions have a prejudice against any communications which 
appear mechanical and cheap. 

However, such an office, where business methods are em- 
ployed to keep in accessible and orderly form the addresses 
of the members, the rolls, records, and accounts, the lists of 
committees, the programs, and the countless other details of the 
activities in a modern church, cannot fail to be of the greatest 
service in the economy of time and effort, and in the rapid 
dispatch of necessary work. 

Such a church office may also be used as an anteroom for 
the reception of visitors who come to consult with the pastor, 
and who can wait there until the time of their appointments 
or until they can be introduced. Thus the pastor is guarded 
from unnecessary and inconvenient intrusions, while at the 
same time his study is thus made a proper place, at convenient 
times, for private interviews with all classes of people. 


4. Tur CuurcH STAFF 


The establishment of a church office points toward the pro- 
vision of a staff of workers trained for the accomplishment 
of technical tasks. These specialists are not appointed to do 
the work of the church members or to relieve the pastor of 
his proper duties. 

The real purpose of a modern church staff is at least 


198 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


threefold: first, to set the pastor free from unnecessary details, - 
that he may give his whole time and energy to accomplishing 
work which he alone can do, and to supervise tasks in which 
others are engaged; second, to provide leaders who will give 
their attention to specific phases of church work, of which they 
have made a special study; third, to so organize the work 
of the church that no necessary task may be neglected, that 
new workers may be enlisted and trained, and that the various 
activities may be given continual personal supervision. 

Usually the first paid helper to be provided for a pastor 
is a church secretary. For this position a woman is usually 
better qualified than a man. To the secretary is assigned the 
clerical work of the pastor and of the church office, including 
the constant correcting of the church rolls with their ever- 
changing addresses of members, conducting correspondence, 
preparing weekly calendars, sending out notices to church 
officers, committeemen, and other workers, furnishing an- 
nouncements and church news for the papers, answering tele- 
phone calls relative to church work, receiving visitors and 
strangers at the office, and giving any possible personal help 
and information. The secretary in some instances makes a 
certain number of calls, particularly upon the sick, the poor, 
and the new members of the congregation. Such diverse and 
important duties constitute a growing field of usefulness fer 
young women of ability and consecration who desire to be 
of service in the church and who are willing to train them- 
selves for these tasks. 

The second helper to be provided is usually the assistant 
pastor, or pastor’s assistant. The province of this office 
should be more clearly defined, either by Church law, or by 
personal contracts, or by imitating the practice of the most 
considerate and best informed pastors. 

Some ministers make the grave mistake of belittling the 
office by assigning to their assistants merely the work of 
errand boys or clerks, while some assistants, on the other 
hand, become presumptuous, ambitious, and disloyal, actual 
rivals of the pastors they are supposed to serve and support. 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION HES 


Other ministers fail to give their assistants any guidance 
or directions, and feel that they can shift upon them all re- 
sponsibility for the pastoral work of the church, while under 
these conditions many assistants show lack of ability, train- 
ing, initiative, and efficiency. 

Usually an assistant should preach with some frequency, 
should take some part in the services every Sunday, and 
should occupy the pulpit regularly in the absence of the 
pastor. He should be assigned definite portions of the pastoral 
visitation, should relate himself to all the organizations and 
activities of the church, and should seek in every way to 
cooperate with the pastor and to relieve him of every unnec- 
essary burden. 

Sometimes the assistant it appointed to the task of director 
of religious education, but it is better if a separate officer can 
be employed for this particular work. Many churches, indeed, 
are so impressed with its importance that they secure such an 
educational expert even before they can afford to support an 
assistant pastor. 

Other trained helpers who are being employed in increasing 
numbers are a director of work among girls, who organizes 
girls’ societies, calls at their homes, and takes general supervi- 
sion of all their activities; a director of boys’ work, perform- 
ing similar tasks; a trained nurse, who is at the service of the 
entire congregation and is ready to go to any house at any 
time, in case of sickness or need; a church hostess, who has the 
oversight of all the church buildings, sees that they are prop- 
erly prepared for the services and meetings, and directs the 
preparation of all church suppers and other refreshments 
served by any of the clubs or societies; a church visitor, who 
should be a consecrated and tactful woman, whose work is 
more particularly with the poor of the congregation and com- 
munity, who holds meetings in their homes, and who does the 
general work of a deaconess. Some churches also employ an 
assistant treasurer, who aids in collecting pledges, in disburs- 
ing salaries and current expenses, and attends to all the multi- 
plying details of modern church finance. 


200 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


5. CuourcH FINANCE 


It is the duty of the pastor to secure the adoption by his 
church of a sound system of church finance. 

a. This, first of all, provides for the adoption of an annual 
budget, which consists of an itemized statement of the prob- 
able revenues and expenditures for the ensuing year. These 
include both the items of church expense and the contributions 
for missionary and benevolent causes. The church expenses 
and benevolences should be fairly proportionate to each other 
as well as to the wealth of the congregation. An increasingly 
popular ideal is that of raising as much money for work out- 
side the parish as is spent upon work within its bounds. Many 
churches, in fact some entire denominations, have attained 
this ideal, while some churches are spending three times as 
much upon others as upon themselves. 

Among the items of church expenditure must be included 
the salaries of the pastor and the church staff; the cost of 
lighting and heating; the care, the insurance, and the repairs 
of the buildings; the music, and pulpit supplies; the care of 
the poor; printing, publicity, and incidentals. It 1s wise to 
place in the church budget all the expenses of the Sunday 
school, or church school, and to allow all the contributions of 
the pupils to be devoted to benevolent objects. So, too, it is 
wise to include the expenses of the various church organiza- 
tions which otherwise distract contributors by incessant and 
conflicting appeals. 

Generous salaries should be provided and liberal allowance 
made for necessary equipment; even self-interest would 
prompt this, for ministers and other workers cannot render 
efficient service if poorly paid and harassed by financial cares, 
and organizations cannot accomplish their appointed ends un- 
less properly equipped and supported. 

The budget of benevolences is prepared by each church, but 
it is usually done in the light of apportionments made by the 
higher courts of the denomination. These denominational 
missionary and benevolent budgets are adopted after laborious 
calculations and according to fixed principles. They should be 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 201 


accepted by each local church, not as assessments but as goals 
which these churches earnestly should seek to attain. Such a 
system of apportionments impresses upon all contributors the 
fact that the benevolent Boards and Agencies are not organ- 
izations outside the church, but are agencies of the church it- 
self. These Boards therefore do not appeal to the church for 
the support of outside work, but for the support of work which 
through their representatives the churches themselves have 
authorized. 

b. In order to raise the budget which has been adopted, the 
church should endeavor to secure pledges of voluntary contri- 
butions from every member. Other methods of raising money 
have been in vogue, but are rapidly being superseded. Pew 
rents, suppers, fairs, bazaars, all have been tried and still have 
their advocates; but voluntary, weekly, individual, system- 
atic, proportionate giving, is commending itself more and more 
widely to professing Christians as the only Scriptural, wise, 
and satisfactorary method of church support. 

A very large number of churches secure pledges by an an- 
nual every-member canvass. This is not wholly free from 
objections and is open to abuses, but when properly conducted 
it has occasioned little criticism and has resulted in largely 
increased contributions. For such a canvass, thoughtful prep- 
aration should be made both by information given to the 
congregation and by wise instructions given to the canvassers. 
Subscriptions should be secured from all the children. and 
from regular church attendants who are not communicants, as 
well as from the adult church members. Each subscriber, 
should make two pledges, one for the support of the local 
church and one for benevolences. 

The purpose of this every-member canvass has been stated 
somewhat as follows: “(1) To express the interest of the 
church in its members, (2) to enlist the interest of the mem- 
bers in the church, (8) to give information as to the whole 
work of the church, (4) to secure weekly offerings both for 
church support and for benevolences.”’ 

Preparation for the canvass should include: (1) continuous 
information during the year, through the church services and 


202 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


societies, (2) a joint conference of the church officers, (3) the 
appointment of a committee on canvass, (4) the selection of 
canvassers, (5) the instruction of the canvassers, (6) securing 
subscription blanks and forms, (7) determining the exact bud- 
gets for church expenses and for benevolences, (8) fixing a 
ratio for dividing undesignated gifts, (9) special sermons and 
pulpit instruction, (10) sending an official letter to each mem- 
ber of the congregation, (11) prayer, and consecration of the 
canvassers. 

The visitation should be made on a fixed day, preferably on 
a Sunday afternoon. The canvassers should go two by two. 
No canvassers should be expected to make more than a dozen 
calls. Each canvasser should return an exact report to the 
Canvass Committee. 

The result of such a canvass should be that a subscription 
is secured for congregational expenses and for benevolences 
from every member of the congregation, according to the 
ability of each, for every interest of the church, to be paid as 
an act of worship every week, thus fulfilling the Scriptural 
injunction: “Upon the first day of the week let each one of you 
lay by him in store, as he may prosper.” 

To facilitate weekly offerings, two sets of fifty-two enve- 
lopes each, or one set of “duplex envelopes” with two com- 
partments, are given every year to each contributor; these are 
dated for each Sunday in the year, numbered with the regis- 
tered number of the contributor, and marked by him with the 
amount enclosed. Thus offerings for church support and for 
benevolences may be made weekly, and accurate accounts can 
be kept by the treasurer and his assistant. 

One serious problem in this system of voluntary contribu- 
tions is that of the large givers. Many congregations number 
among their members persons of wealth; the latter should be 
encouraged to give with ever-increasing generosity, but to 
give directly to the denominational Boards and Agencies and 
not to or through the treasuries of the local churches. To the 
expenses of a local church or through the channels of this 
church, no one should give more than his fairly proportionate 
share; otherwise the local church will be pauperized and its 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 203 


members will pride themselves upon a generosity which they 
have not shown, and upon large contributions for which they 
have made no sacrifice and in which they have had no share. 

c. In the collection of pledges and disbursement of funds, 
businesslike methods must be employed. Members must not 
be allowed to become delinquent in their payments, yet 
caution must be exercised to cause no offense. It is well to 
make a quarterly statement to each subscriber. 

Great prudence also must be shown in accounting for church 
funds. No one man should be allowed to handle the money 
alone. For his own sake as well as for that of the church, the 
treasurer should have others associated with him in secur- 
ing and counting and depositing all funds and in preparing re- 
ports for the congregation. 

The benevolent offerings and the contributions for church 
support always should be kept separate; in fact, it is wise to 
have different treasurers for these two funds. All the financial 
obligations of the church should be met honestly and 
promptly, and missionary and benevolent funds never should 
be allowed to accumulate, but without delay should be re- 
mitted to the Boards and Agencies for which they were con- 
tributed. Otherwise, these missionary and benevolent soci- 
eties lose large sums in interest paid on money which they 
would not need to borrow if the treasurers of local churches 
would make their payments monthly, or at least quarterly. 

No system of church finance can be successful unless the 
members of each local church are faithfully instructed in the 
principles of Christian stewardship. The tithe should be held 
before each congregation as the base line for benevolence, 
below which Christian stewards should never fall and above 
which many will rise as prosperity and consecration increase. 


6. CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP 


The Spirit of God has implanted in the heart of the Chris- 
tian a principle urging him to conceive his life in terms of 
stewardship. At the same time, modern missions turns the 
telescope of travel and understanding upon the non-Christian 
world and discovers its tragic need of the resources the 


904. THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


Christian has at his disposal through stewardship. The prin- 
ciple of sacrificial giving is rooted in the Christian heart; the 
need for sacrificial giving is deep-seated in the non-Christian 
world, at home and abroad. Therefore, stewardship and mis- 
sionary education go hand in hand. If the former only were 
stressed, we might profess it as a doctrine but still be out of its 
vital control. If the latter only were emphasized, we should 
become, as people often do, case-hardened. It is when the 
principles enunciated by stewardship and the facts presented 
by missionary education are welded together that we have 
God’s rounded plan for the supplying of human need and for 
the building of Christian character. 

The first element in the pastor’s program of stewardship is 
his own recognition of its importance and his surrender to its 
claims. Just as a pastor who does not whole-heartedly believe 
in the atonement for sin cannot successfully lead sinners to the 
Saviour, so the pastor who does not accept and adopt the prin- 
ciples of stewardship for himself cannot carry his people into 
the heights of character to which true stewardship always 
leads. 

The pastor is appointed to be a steward “of the mysteries.” 
He is a trustee of the gospel. His divine Lord has intrusted him 
with the sacred message. He must recognize, acknowledge, 
and fulfill that trust. As a part of his obligation he must be 
a faithful steward of his time and talents, as well as of his 
money. Jazy men in the ministry have violated their trust 
with God. Pastors who fritter away their time in profitless 
affairs are guilty of a breach of their ordination vows. On the 
other hand, nothing is more inspiring and nothing more wide- 
spread that the devotion of the men of God to their appointed 
tasks. 

The pastor’s peril is that because he regulates his own hours, 
determines and carries out his own schedule of study and 
visitation, he may become slack and lax. Stewardship, when 
its roots are deep down in the pastor’s soul, brings forth the 
fruit of well spent hours and energies. 

Then, too, the pastor is under the obligation to give his 
money just as his people are. The fact that his calling is set 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 205 


apart from ordinary vocations does not release him from the 
necessity and privilege of practicing the principles of steward- 
ship. He is under the same responsibility that rests upon the 
members of his church, to set aside a definite proportion of his 
income for others. If he does not, in the long run, he will not 
be able to induce his people to do it. 

Granted, then, that the pastor, of all men, must be a per- 
sonal steward of time and talents and money, how may he best 
lead his people into a fellowship of stewardship with himself 
and with Christ? At the outset, he has responsibilities toward 
those whom he receives into the church upon profession of 
their faith. Too often converts who come to the Lord Jesus 
Christ as their Saviour from sin are not sufficiently impressed 
with the companion truth that he is their Lord and Master. 
They are willing that Jesus should be a divine sacrifice to bear 
away their sins but they are reluctant to let him control their 
lives. The pastor who desires to implant the principles of 
stewardship in his congregation should begin with those whom 
he welcomes into the fellowship of the Church upon the pro- 
fession of their faith. He should show them how vitally their 
whole lives must be brought under the sway of Christ as their 
Master. Such training, begun in the communicants’ class and 
given memorable sanction at the public reception of members, 
must be continued with diligence during the months immedi- 
ately ahead. Do the new members pray and read the Word of 
God? Are they regular in their attendance upon the services 
of the church? Are they interested in winning others? Are 
they growing in the grace of giving? These are questions 
which the pastor who is a true steward will seek to answer 
month by month. 

Another place in which the seeds of stewardship may be 
sown with promise of an abundant harvest is in the church 
school. Even the Beginners may be brought under the influ- 
ence of its teachings. Lesson-study courses are now being 
prepared which deal with this important subject. In addition 
to the formal study of a course of lessons in stewardship, there 
is the chance for a telling word in the introductory or con- 
cluding services of the school. The striking bit of missionary 


206 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


information may properly be coupled with a stewardship inci- 
dent from the Scripture or from the pages of Christian experi- 
ence. In addition to the use of stewardship material for the 
formal services of the school, there are lantern slides, playlets. 
dialogues, and materials for stories which are available 
through the Stewardship Departments of many denomina- 
tions. Not a few pastors have been able to develop some of 
their talented young people both in the production and in the 
presentation of stewardship messages from the platform and 
the stage. 

It is doubtless in his pulpit and in his executive leadership 
that the pastor has his finest opportunity to present the 
claims of stewardship. Out of a large array of successful 
pulpit and pastoral plans, the following are suggested as 
among the most promising: 

a. A series of stewardship sermons, dealing with the funda- 
mentals of Christ’s ownership of the Christian and moving 
forward through all the avenues of application toward the goal 
of Christlike service and character. 

b. A series of midweek service topics, gathering about the 
theme of stewardship, based upon the teachings of Scripture 
and dealing with their application to modern life. 

c. A brief course of stewardship study of one of the avail- 
able textbooks, by.a group either of Adults or of Young 
People, or of both. The midweek “school of stewardship,” with 
a graded course of study, frequently held on the night of the 
midweek service, where the whole group gathers for opening 
exercises and then divides into a suitable number of classes, 
is receiving growing support. During a recent winter in a 
modest-sized town in an eastern state, two hundred 
and seventy people assembled in the midweek school of stew- 
ardship, on a night following one cf the worst winter storms 
in years. It is little wonder that the church referred to has 
in recent years doubled and trebled its giving and that it has 
already gone beyond the fifty-fifty goal: “As much for others 
as for ourselves.” The school of stewardship should not be 
continued for too long a period, in order that its results may 
be intensively developed and that other periods of the year 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 207 


may be left free for the church school of missions and other 
related enterprises. 

d. A judicious and frequent use of stewardship material, 
such as incidents, epigrams, charts and diagrams in church 
calendars and local church magazines where they are issued. 
Public bulletin boards on church property, so often inade- 
quately used for several days of the week, may be employed 
to teach stewardship as well as missionary facts. Tell how 
much money the people are spending upon luxuries. Stress the 
claims of the church upon the people of the community. Call 
for recruits. 

e. A pulpit ministry whose prayers are tinged and toned by 
the spirit of stewardship. Public prayers that are both bur- 
dened and lifted by the claim of Christ upon the Christian’s 
life and his possessions, will be an inevitable source of inspira- 
tion toward the practice of stewardship. 

f. An occasional use of the columns of the local papers, 
which are usually open to the alert and tactful pastor, to 
present stewardship as God’s remedy for industrial and 
commercial strife. “What is the root of industrial unrest? 
Covetousness! What is God’s remedy for covetousness? 
Stewardship!” 

g. An employment of the group organization of the in- 
dividual church to distribute regularly stewardship material— 
leaflets, pamphlets, and cards. Many of the denominations 
are constantly creating a new and increasing supply of such 
material. To distribute it through the pews is usually to reach 
less than half the membership and to waste a great deal. To 
send it through the mail is to add to the expense and to lose the 
personal touch. To distribute it through the group leaders 
to the entire constituency of the church is the most effective 
way of getting the material into the mind, the heart, and the 
conscience. 

h. An earnest effort to secure stewardship enrollment of 
the members ofthe church. This is perhaps the most diffi- 
cult thing to do. Not a few church officers will oppose it 
because they are not stewards and do not desire to have their 
delinquencies known. In some cases such officers have been 


208 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


known to block an every-member canvass for years, because 
they did not want to have their niggardliness exposed to their 
fellow members. It is possible, however, even with such 
officers, for the pastor to secure permission, and from some 
quarters support, in carrying out stewardship enrollment. 
There is nothing to hinder him securing enrolled stewards by 
personal solicitation. . He will have loyal support from many 
of his young people, his missionary workers among the women, 
who are now Officially studying stewardship, and teachers in 
the Sunday school. It is highly desirable that he should at- 
tempt to do it on the day set apart by his denomination. The 
value of the enrollment is that it commits men and women to 
the principle of a definite surrender of income to Christ’s 
work. They may be tithers or they may fix another propor- 
tion, but their registration puts them in line to be real, perse- 
vering stewards. A certain large congregation recently de- 
prived of the services of its pastor because of his removal to a 
distant field, nearly a year after his departure and before its 
new pastor had been installed, reported that its income month 
by month for current expenses and for benevolences had been 
larger than ever before in its history. A leading officer of the 
congregation offered as the explanation of this unusual situa- 
tion, the following facts: 


(1) We are thoroughly organized on the Permanent Every 
Member Group Plan. 

(2) We have a 100 per cent every-member canvass. 

(3) We have a large company of tithers and proportionate 
givers regularly enrolled and systematically contribut- 
ing. 


i. Not the least of the opportunities for the pastor to pro- 
mote stewardship is in connection with the successful 
presentation of the principles and methods of cooperative 
benevolence, which in many churches has superseded the old 
“hit-and miss plan.” The symbol of cooperative benevolence is 
the “budget.”. In itself the budget is wooden and mechanical. 
When, however, it is vitalized with the concrete facts of the 
world’s need which it represents, and when it is inspired by 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 209 


the principles of stewardship, it becomes one of the greatest 
agencies of the Church. By the budget system at its best, 
responsibility is distributed, area by area, group by group. 
church by church, and at last comes down to the door of every 
member and says, “This, at least, is your share!” 

The record of recent years in many Protestant denomina- 
tions is the thrilling story of great advances in giving for local 
support and for benevolences. There are certain defects in the 
budget plan which seriously need to be remedied but on the 
whole it represents a great advance in Christian giving. If 
the mechanical elements can now be made spiritual by under- 
girding the budget system with the abiding principles of co- 
operative benevolence and proportionate giving, the day may 
come when the budget scaffolding may be safely taken down 
and the edifice of an informed, enrolled stewardship-profess- 
ing and stewardship-practicing Church stand out in all the 
glory of apostolic faith and triumph. 


7. CuHurcH ADVERTISING 


By wise and proper methods of publicity a pastor should 
seek to extend the influence of his church in the community, 
to attract to its services the largest possible number of attend- 
ants, as well as to instruct and stimulate the members of his 
own congregation. With the last of these objects in view, 
and remembering that he is a teacher as well as a preacher, 
he is under obligation to give information to his entire con- 
gregation concerning their duties as members, concerning 
the activities of the various organizations, and concerning the 
relation of his individual church to the work of the entire 
denomination. When he remembers that some eighty per cent 
of what a man knows is said to have come to him through the 
eye, the pastor realizes that he can succeed best in giving in- 
formation if he puts it in print, and thus presents it to his 
people. 

For announcing the various facts relative to the services and 
the work of the congregation, in an increasing number of 
churches, both large and small, weekly calendars or bulletins 
are being employed. This relieves the public worship from 


210 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


the distraction and interruption of oral notices, and enables 
the people to take with them to their homes for reference the 
exact statements which they need. 

To a considerable degree, however, these bulletins are being 
used to convey information of a wider range, and facts of a 
real educational value in reference to missionary and evangel- 
istic work. Information concerning the activities of the Mis- 
sion Boards, and the extent to which the denomination is 
fulfilling its obligations, is found to stimulate gifts and to raise 
the level of intelligence. 

To announce that the ladies’ aid society will meet on 
Wednesday at four o’clock may be important, but to tell the 
congregation that the total Christian population of India has 
increased twenty-two and four tenths per cent in the last 
decade, and that Hinduism is not increasing in the number ot 
its adherents, is to lay the foundation for the further advance 
of the church in gifts and prayer. 

The bulletin or calendar ought to contain the news of the 
congregation, but it should also remind the people that, they 
are members of a denomination, and by giving information 
of the world-wide work of their communion, it should turn 
their minds to the needs of the world and to the work of the 
universal Church. 

Then again, to impart such information, posters, charts, 
or even blackboards or bulletin boards, are placed in the 
vestibules or Sunday-school or lecture rooms of some 
churches. These educate the mind through the eye, and help 
the members to realize that church attendance is not the only 
necessary form of Christian activity. 

A third method of publicity is that of placing a bulletin 
board on the outside of the church, announcing the services 
and the name and address of the pastor. Some, provided with 
movable letters, also announce the sermon subject and other 
facts of interest, and during the early part of the week, the 
space is filled with Bible messages. If such a bulletin board 
is dignified and attractive, it is a good means of legitimate 
advertising. 

Then, too, the news columns of the local papers are open to 


CHURCH ADMINISTRATION 211 


live items which are of interest to the general public. Proper 
use of this opportunity requires study and ability. The books 
on general news-writing, such as those by Hyde or Bleyer, will 
be helpful. The activities of the local church may be linked 
with those of the denomination or of the entire missionary 
enterprise, and such information or “news-letters” may be of 
real value to the papers. Publishers are usually very generous 
in allotting space for such news, but, while announcing facts 
relative to this particular church, the pastor should seek to 
give information which is of interest to a wider group than 
his own congregation, otherwise his material borders on the 
province of that for which payment should be made at adver- 
tising rates. 

On the subject of paid advertisements, much might be said. 
It is a matter deserving careful thought and study. These 
advertisements are difficult to write if they are such as to 
serve any real purpose. When they fall to the level of being 
mere announcements of sermon subjects, they cannot be re- 
garded as of much value. Display space, secured at the 
expense of church funds, should be designed really to attract 
the indifferent, and to make of them regular church atten- 
dants, and actually to aid in the proclamation of Christianity. 

For the cost of bulletins and other means of advertising, 
each church should include in its annual budget about one 
dollar per member. 

In many cases the pastor is fortunate enough to have the 
aid of experienced laymen to help him in this difficult work of 
church publicity. A Publicity Committee may be appointed 
to take charge of the church advertising. If newspaper or 
advertising men are in the congregation, their advice should 
by all means be sought. Many churches turn over to such 
trained men the entire preparation of the calendars, the news 
items for the papers and the entire matter of the church pub- 
licity. If there are no such men in the congregation, the pas- 
tor may well spend time in studying the subject and in train- 
ing others to assume the task. A number of books may be 
secured which show how the scientific principles of advertising 
may be applied to church work. 


212 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


Then, too, the pastor has the responsibility of making the 
gospel known outside his particular congregation. Some few 
ministers have the opportunity of broadcasting sermons by 
radio, but to many there are open the news and the editorial, as 
well as the advertising, columns of the local papers. A news- 
paper will go into thousands of homes which are never entered 
by the pastor or his brother ministers. It reaches the rural 
readers, and gospel messages are often brought thus to many 
who seldom if ever attend church services. Editors in small 
towns are often quite willing to print editorials on religious 
subjects. Some pastors edit a regular department in daily 
papers by which they reach in a week a thousand times as 
many persons as they reach from the pulpit. 

The pastor should be a friend to newspaper men. He should 
show great courtesy to reporters, and try to give them news 
of interest, aside from the mere announcements of services: 
and he will find that they are usually willing to help him in 
any way within their power. 

There is a growing tendency for churches to pool their 
advertising apportionment and use display space of consider- 
able extent to set forth jointly some phase of the gospel mes- 
sage. These advertisements urge the reader to go to some 
church, the names of the churches being listed in small type. 
Local federations of churches are adopting this idea, thus pre- 
senting a solid front of Protestantism to the entire community 
instead of exhibiting an apparently competitive spirit by 
printing individual cards announcing only sermon themes. 
The whole subject is one of such importance as to merit study 
and thought on the part of every pastor. 


CHAPTER Ix 
PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 
1. THe Ruraut CuurcH 


There are two conditions which modify country church 
work. The first and the outstanding condition is the isolation 
of rural life. The farmer works alone and the rural family 
dwells apart from other families. The farm boy must do many 
things by himself and find the answer to many problems for 
himself. He does not learn how to use others, he does learn 
how to use himself. But the rural dweller has to pay for these 
gains in individuality, initiative, and resourcefulness. He is 
apt to find codperation a difficult task. He is morally in 
danger of seeking personal ends without regard to the effect 
upon his neighbor or the distant consumer. He finds it hard 
to change old plans for new plans, especially if the new plans 
demand either his subordination to others or the domination 
of others for the common good. 

The second condition which the rural pastor faces 
is the fact that all of his people have similar interest in 
life. The country storekeeper and the implement dealer, 
as well as the farmer, are all deeply concerned as to the 
effect of the rainfall or drought upon the wheat and the 
corn. This narrowing of interests is of advantage to the 
pastor. It is sometimes charged that sociologists demand that 
the country pastor know all about farming. To this critic it 
is fitting to answer that many city pastors would be more 
useful if they knew more about the daily work of the men in 
the pews, and that the advantage is all with the country. 
pastor who has just this one kind of breadwinning work to 
study. And he must learn all he can about it. No one in his 
parish will expect him to teach agriculture, but no one will 

213 


214 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


long respect him if he has no concern to learn all that he can 
about farms and farming. 

Upon the farmer himself this narrowing of interests has 
some serious results. It tends to make him antagonistic to 
other forms of business. He is apt to be bitter against organ- 
ized enterprise, which sets his prices, and against organized 
labor, which sets the wages he pays. Upon some natures the 
monotonous round of farm life tends to morbidity. Rural 
graveyards hold an alarming number of suicides. The con- 
stant grapple with material forces and the overcoming of 
resistance presented by soil or weather or insect pests beget 
a materialistic philosophy. Ofttimes the continual struggle 
for the barest livelihood ends in wealth becoming the great 
end of life. Avarice is bred sometimes in sordid surroundings. 
The domination of this longing for money has its outcome in 
a pinched family life and in the revolt of the next generation 
against the farm. In the midst of such ideas will be found 
also generous spirits, families with broader outlook, the men 
and women who have found much more in country life than 
drudgery and sordidness; but they are in the minority. To 
the pastor of such a mixed community comes the challenge 
to broaden, to enlighten, and to inspire its members with a 
nobler view of life at home, and a fairer appreciation of the 
rest of the world. The church is always the emblem of the 
unseen. It ought to make the unseen concrete in the lives of 
men. The pastor ought to help to shape lives in which both 
tables of the Ten Commandments are made to live. 

The foundation stone of a successful rural pastorate is per- 
sonal confidence. The rural pastor must know the people and 
the people must know him. It is a great asset if he be the 
kind of man who commands respect, confidence, obedience. Of 
two pastors whom the writer knows, the younger and less ex- 
perienced man, because of his personal power, has wrought ap- 
parently the greater results in his five years in a church. The 
older, more experienced man has won many souls by his min- 
istry but he has apparently achieved smaller gains in building 
a church. Yet his spirit is fine, his outlook wise, and his life 
absolutely above reproach. 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 215 


The pastor must gain much knowledge by personal effort. 
Sometimes he may do this through other persons. A rural 
pastor especially needs a wise, discreet, well-balanced, fair- 
minded man for a confidant who will tell justly all the truth 
about members of the community and then on the witness 
stand of the village store be able to forget that he and the 
pastor ever discussed these people. The country doctor, if he 
be of the same class as David Grayson’s “Doctor North,” or 
Ian Maclaren’s “Weelum MacLure,” is a most valuable ally to 
the pastor. But the man in a country church must be wary 
about discussing parishioners too freely with anyone. Even 
with the utmost caution he will be astounded at the ways in 
which unwise gossips have twisted his innocent remarks or 
actions. Of course it is nothing but the height of foolish- 
ness for him to be so loose-tongued that he will discuss his 
brethren with the hired men of the community. Dire disaster 
to his personal influence must follow so careless a course. 
While the new pastor will avoid all criticism of his predecessor 
and at first seem to slip into plans as he finds them, he had 
better avoid too many confidences from the man he follows. 
The new man ought to form independent judgments of people. 
To be sure he must do much of the work for a long time with 
the aid of those whom the last pastor trained, but he ought 
to be careful about accepting the judgment of the man before 
him that certain things “cannot be done here’ or that “those 
people cannot be reached.” 

The chief source of knowledge about his parishioners must 
be his own personal contact with them. Pastoral visitation 
is not a lost art in the country. One of the great needs of a 
parish is to get the pastor to know everyone in the domains, 
and to have everyone acquainted with him. This takes time 
in the countryside. Calls must not be too hurried. Hearts 
of the farm folk are not reached in ten minutes of talk in the 
rarely opened front room, even if the call be closed with 
prayer. The country folk will resent the pastor’s taking so 
little of his time and so much of theirs for nothing but a 
brief, desultory talk. If he be really welcomed, the pastor 
and his family will have invitations to sit down at the family 


216 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


board upon more or less formal occasions. Let him beware 
of getting in at 6:25 for a 6:30 supper. His plans ought to 
allow for spending a considerable period before sitting down to 
the table and an unhurried departure afterwards. 

However, the pastor will not fail to gain knowledge by 
means of the modern survey. He had better not be too quick 
about undertaking it in his new parish, but he ought not to 
neglect it. The apparatus is simple: a map of the area, some 
cards to record the facts, and sense enough to know what 
questions not to ask. The Post Office Department?! or the 
Geological Survey ? will supply the map, and the second need 
can be supplied either from the local printing office or from 
some dealer in church supplies; the third he must furnish him- 
self. The pastor had better make his own survey. He will 
gain knowledge through personal contacts that will always be 
valuable, and what is more important, the people will gain 
knowledge of him. Mr. Mills? laid the foundation of his great 
work at Benzonia by walking over the country and living with 
the people. But the real value of the survey is in the plans 
which the pastor makes upon the basis of the knowledge 
acquired. A survey has no virtue in itself. A diagnosis is not 
a remedy. Neither will the presenting of shocking facts to the 
community itself guarantee improvement. Ofttimes the less 
said about some things the better. The pastor ought to take 
a long view. He ought to have plans in mind, more or less 
definite, looking toward goals a good many years ahead. Many 
of these he may well keep to himself. He must not expect that 
nearly all his people will believe in his dreams; his great end 
is largely achieved when they have become willing to believe 
in him. A chief of staff cannot have all the sergeants initiated 
into the details of the campaign. 

The rural pastor who enters upon a new field will, like the 
new commander of a campaign, see strategical openings to be 
occupied by new combinations or new organizations. He will 


1 Third Assistant Postmaster General, Finance Division, Washington, 


2 Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. 
3 Mills, “Making of a Country Parish.” 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 217 


do well to be slow in attempting very many new things. Usu- 
ally the first call is to make present machinery effective 
rather than to scrap it and to bring in new devices. What is 
often needed is a new spirit in the midst of old wheels. The 
rural pastor needs this motto above his desk: “This work de- 
pends upon me.” Surely he must develop workers and lead- 
ers, but every plan usually will need a good deal of personal 
attention from him for a considerable time after initiation. 
Brooders must be watched as well as incubators. There is a 
great gain for the pastor personally and for the whole work 
strategically when work undertaken is a success. Multiply- 
ing organizations is apt to endanger the success of all. 
Failure quickly breeds discouragement among the people and 
weakens confidence in the pastor’s grasp of the affair. One 
rural pastor inaugurated five new organizations within the 
first six months of his service. One lived and the others 
hardly gasped before they died. A pastor who has been for 
more than twenty years in one parish, was asked by an enthu- 
siastic beginner in another parish for advice about how to 
start some new things in his community. The older man 
wrote back that he had to stay in his field fifteen years be- 
fore he even dared to think of some of these schemes. 

How to hold meetings of various groups is very impor- 
tant. With the long distances to travel and the incessant round 
of care of animals on a farm, it is difficult for people to get 
together very often. 

A few well attended meetings of a mission-study class, of a 
teachers’ normal class, or of a Scout patrol, count more than a 
larger number of meetings with small, irregular attendance 
and little enthusiasm. Meetings of groups of various ages 
should be held at the same time, as otherwise older members 
of a family must often bring the younger members and then 
wait idly until the latter can go home. Then it is always wise 
to adapt plans and programs when circumstances clearly de- 
mand it. Dr. Warren H. Wilson had to give up a musical 
association at Quaker Hill, but the same people made a great 
success of a literary and dramatic club. The classes of older 
boys and girls in the Sunday school at Plainsboro, New Jer- 


218 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


sey, are organized for social and athletic activities. There 
are no other organizations for these young people than these 
classes. Again, programs that are prepared by outside agen- 
cies frequently need revising. A rural every-member canvass 
is usually more successful in October than in March. A coun- 
try Sunday school had better have a Rally Day in April than 
in September. 

One of the most disheartening things the rural pastor has 
to face is the moral life of the community and of individuals 
in it. It is often hard to say to a farmer that he ought to sort 
apples more closely and safeguard the health of his cows more 
scientifically. High ideals of business ethics are not easy to 
inculcate in some minds. Then come the heartbreaking per- 
sonal failures—not worse than those of the town, but relatively 
more conspicuous because of the neighborhood gossip. Local 
affairs are always apt to be magnified on the evil side. There 
is the glamour of the unusual and the unexperienced. The 
montonous drudgery of country life is always apt to have 
reaction in the ways that have been easiest to gratify, namely, 
drink and social vice. The smuggler of liquor and the person of 
immoral character are usually near at hand. The rural pas- 
tor ought to avoid morbid views as to the evils he has to face. 
He will find a lack of community action even when the evils 
are well-known, but he must not conclude too quickly that all 
the parish is a sink of iniquity. Personal loss and personal 
relationships will make many of his people cowards. Maybe 
he can find a remedy through indirect approach. He will have 
to be very wise and careful as to the lapses that occur in the 
church. Sometimes he will find an evil heritage from the 
past. One pastor found the names of an immoral family on 
the roll of the church because after a preceding evangel- 
istic meeting the woman and her daughters had professed 
conversion and had been received into the church. Of course 
prevention is the best cure. One pastor has a couple of wise, 
motherly, discreet women who keep watch over the girls of 
the community and invite those they fear are getting on to 
dangerous ground into their own homes and so by influ- 
ence and motherly advice try to warn and _ safeguard 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 219 


these young girls. The pastor and a few men try to safeguard 
the boys in the same way. General educational campaigns 
are often necessary, clearly, but not alluringly, pointing out 
the dangers of drink, gambling, and impurity. 

Sometimes there will be no way but open fighting, even 
though leading a campaign against the forces of evil is highly 
dangerous service for a pastor. He must avoid directly at- 
tacking, if he can do so. Rarely will it be wise to speak of 
community evils in any public address. He must be wary of 
the opposition. When once aroused, the powers of evil will 
stop at no scheme to discredit him in the public regard. 

The rural pastor faces some hard personal problems. He 
will be likely to find few kindred intellectual spirits in the 
parish. Sometimes the most liberally educated, broadest- 
minded individuals in the parish will have only the slightest 
connection with the church. He is in danger of alienating 
his most devoted workers by intimacies with those who are 
indifferent to the church. Usually he must find his compan- 
ionship in his books and in the groups outside of the parish 
with whom he may meet occasionally. Again, he is apt to be 
disheartened by the petty differences which wreck church 
activities and Christian character. Neighborhood feuds are 
not confined to the mountains of Kentucky. One remedy is 
community enlistment in larger interests. Possibly the radio 
and the consolidated school will help here. Then it will be 
an unusual parish where actual personal and church poverty 
will not stare the pastor in the face. Rural life changes slowly 
and financial expansion is never rapid with farmers. The 
pastor and his family need to remember that their personal 
problems are largely those of the majority of the parish. His 
sympathy ought to deepen through this fellowship of problems. 
He must guard against bitterness of spirit when the family 
that pays twenty-five cents a week to church support buys 
the latest model of enclosed car. It is always better to talk 
frankly to those responsible for the finances of the congrega- 
tion than to get soured in spirit over the situation. One com- 
pensation is the fact that the pastor is ex officio a leader among 
men. Others have to struggle to a position of prominence; the 


220 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


pastor steps into it. He needs to pray for wisdom and grace 
and humility to enable him to use the opportunity. The 
very preeminence lays great obligations upon him. He shares 
with the rural teacher the opportunity to lead boys and girls 
into a broader and finer life. Sometimes he may lead the 
teacher to see what has never been within her vision. It will 
sometimes happen that the pastor will be called upon to aid 
and advise in emergencies which are chiefly concerned with 
pain and weakness of body. With the diminishing of that 
noble race of men, the country doctors, will come a new re- 
sponsibility for the country pastor. To all his other cares 
he will need, like the foreign missionary, to add healing of 
bodies as well as of souls. Fortunate the pastor who has an 
interest in medicine and a wife who can be a kindly minis- 
trant to her sisters in an hour of need. But always he must 
be a man who deep in his own soul has a love for country life 
and country people. If the wide views across meadow and 
forest, the quiet lanes by shady brooks, and the wind-swept 
snowdrifts glittering in brilliant sunshine, mean only hard- 
ships of isolation and travel, he ought to seek another field 
where God is to be met amid noise rather than quiet. For, 
like John Frederick Oberlin and Charles Kingsley, he must 
draw his chief consolation often from God’s great out of 
doors if he would be a real minister among country men. He 
must always be the interpreter of the unseen but ever pres- 
ent. He must learn deeply the spirit and message of the 
Man of Nazareth, traveler over the hills of Galilee and friend 
of the rural folk in the Jordan valley. It is for him that the 
country pastor labors and to him that he must win the lonely 
dwellers on ranch and prairie. 


2. THe Town CHURCH 


No sharp line can be drawn dividing the town church from 
the rural church on one side and the city church, or better, 
the suburban church, on the other. The social characters of 
towns vary widely and so do the problems of the churches 
within them. There is a wider variety of pursuits in the town 
than in the country and sometimes widely differing, even 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 221 


antagonistic, groups. The New Jersey Federation of Town 
and Country Church Workers divides its churches into two 
groups according to the occupation of one half of the mem- 
bership. A church with fifty per cent of its membership 
country people is generally to be administered as a country 
church, and a church with a smaller proportion of rural 
dwellers becomes amenable to town-church methods. 

The town church here discussed is situated in the midst of 
a farming region with social, business, and political relations 
to all the open country round about it. It has an element com- 
posed of industrial workers. Some enterprises not drawing raw 
material from the country and not finding markets in the 
vicinity are thus present. This means workers and office men 
who are regular wage earners, with the problem of good times 
and bad times in these industries. There are a number of 
retired farmers, usually much past middle life, most of them 
still owning farms and getting some part of their livelihood 
from these properties through tenants. There are various 
tradesmen whose business relations touch the townspeople and 
the country people as well. There is a certain professional 
and financial element, made up of bankers, lawyers, doctors, 
and persons who have the means of living from accumulated 
family capital, usually invested through the banks and 
through financial agencies elsewhere than in the town. 

The churches have to gain a place and exercise an influence 
over this diverse population. Sometimes there is consider- 
able civic pride in the town but often this is largely absent. 
The churches vary from the struggling little group with a 
membership of fewer than one hundred to the congregation 
with over five hundred members which prides itself on its 
imposing edifice on the principal corner of the main street, 
with the town clock and a spire a hundred feet high, and the 
names of the most wealthy families on its list of pewholders. 
The reason for any particular church’s being there is found in 
family and traditional associations, racial affinities—the 
Scotch will be Presbyteraians and the Germans Lutherans— 
certain social and financial class distinctions, and denomi- 
national pride and conviction. Sadly enough there is also 


222 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


present sometimes an organization whose existence is due to 
warring factions in some older church. All these things lay 
the foundation for rivalry and jealousy among the churches. 
The need for income to maintain a church on even the lowest 
possible budget results in many devices to get money. Such 
schemes absorb much time and energy and are apt to result 
in bad feeling between the churches; sometimes they will 
antagonize the business men of the town. Well-meaning ad- 
visers from without say that the remedy is codperation and 
possibly union of some of the churches. But they cannot see 
the rocks that lie just beneath the surface and upon which 
a new pastor wrecks his usefulness when he tries union 
schemes. In the beginning he should try to develop and 
train the spiritual and financial resources of his own plot 
rather than to attempt methods which will realign the whole 
area. He must not advance so fast that he loses his own 
support. He will have opportunities here, lacking in the 
rural field, to train and guide the young people, although he 
will also find the competition for their interest very keen on 
the part of the modern school, the voluntary social activities 
of the young people themselves, and the commercial amuse- 
ments, not to speak of the less worthy enterprises bidding 
for the boys and girls. If he has studied modern social work, 
he may have strong temptations to propose remodeling his 
church or erecting a new building so that young people’s 
activities may be carried on. The difficulty is not so much in 
getting buildings as in carrying on worth-while work in them. 
The writer has met pastors who were greatly harassed to 
find money and still more to find men and women of char- 
acter and fitness to lead and manage the social and athletic 
activities for which buildings had already been provided. 

The problem of competition among the churches is softened 
by certain well-tried expedients. There is the holding of 
union services, more or less regularly, and the carrying for- 
ward of plans for the common welfare, such as advertising, 
musical or literary projects, evangelistic campaigns, and so 
on. These must always be carefully handled lest the sus- 
picion be raised that the pastor who proposes or urges them 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 293 


forward has some ulterior motive such as personal prestige 
or the increase of names on his church roll at the expense of 
other churches. This last is one of the temptations hard for 
most church officers to resist. Disgruntled and troublesome 
members of one church, who deserve disciplining, will some- 
times be received with garlands and songs of triumph when 
they go to another church in the same town. Some men bow 
down before the size of the church roll. Of course this is 
not true of all pastors but when small-town competition gets 
keen some will steal sheep. In many churches, however, there 
is comity and a proper regard for each other. One of the 
modern devices to check rivalry is the federated church. This 
is advisable when life seems no longer possible for the separate 
bodies. The organization of each church is kept intact, but 
a plan of worshiping and working together is found. Some- 
times it has seemed best to organize an entirely new church 
on the now popular community-church basis and thus under 
one resident pastor bring the greater portion of the people 
together. However, community churches in this sense are 
mostly too young to be recommended as the cure-all for over- 
churched towns. It is difficult to see how mere change of 
organization will solve difficulties which have their root in 
personal feelings. What usually happens is that some one 
church, under wiser and more aggresive leadership, pushes 
ahead and becomes the dominating body. This means in- 
creased hardship for the other churches and possibly death for 
some of them. One of the chief dangers here is the effect 
“upon the ideals of religion in the whole community. Dr. 
Wilbur L. Anderson says very truly: “Churches have chosen 
to die in independence rather than yield in reason to a pru- 
dent consolidation. This clears the field, but the process is 
painful and perilous, for religion may perish while the strug- 
gling churches are waiting for their competitors to die.” 

The automobile and the good-roads movement have seemed 
likely to bring the rural people into the town church and so 
to change the town and country-church problem. The results 
so far have not been very hopeful. The town church brings 
in some people from the country to its Sunday services, but 


224 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


this number is comparatively small in relation to the whole 
population. Those reached are usually the Christian and 
moral element in the country and the portion which furnishes 
leaders for all improvement. By attaching these to the town 
church the whole rural section is weakened and local churches 
lying a few miles out are made less effective. The need here 
is to find a plan by which the power and spiritual resources 
of the town may be used to aid the country organizations. 
Here is a rich opportunity for the men’s brotherhoods and 
kindred bodies in town churches. The town pastor ought to 
organize the lay leadership at his command to go out to aid, 
encourage, evangelize, and build up the rural spiritual forces. 
What has happened, so far too often, is the outcome so well 
expressed by Dr. Paul Douglass: “The killing range of the 
town church exceeds its service range.” What can be done 
under modern conditions of communication to tie up the 
town and country church together still remains to be seen. 
But it will be disastrous finally for the town to draw off from 
its country environment the elements that are needed to 
Christianize the whole region. No get-rich-quick methods 
pay in church work. The pastor ought to plan for the situa- 
tion as far ahead as he is able to forecast it, and he ought 
to take all future elements of change, growth, and power 
into account as he plans his present program. This church in 
this town is to be found at work for the good of men and the 
glory of God when the last trump shall sound. 


3. THe City CHuRCH 


Like human nature, the work of redemption and the task 
of the church are essentially the same everywhere; the prob- 
lems of the city pastor may duplicate those of the rural 
pastor, and vice versa. Wayside soil, the rocky ground, the 
thorns which spring up and choke the Word, as well as good 
and honest hearts, are to be found both in city and in country. 
As a rule, city churches are larger in membership, minister 
to greater populations, conduct more numerous services, main- 
tain a greater variety of organizations, and in consequence 
expect more of their pastors than does “the little brown 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 225 


church in the dale.” Cities differ as to their history, racial 
characteristics, culture, social and industrial classes, measure 
of progress, and prosperity. The minister who makes a bril- 
liant success in one metropolis may exhibit feeble candle 
power in another of the same magnitude. But there are a 
few general problems which practically every city pastorate 
has to face in one form or another. 

a. There are the problems incident to shifting populations. 
Within twenty-five years a city community may change com- 
pletely as to the character of its population and the kind of 
church work which needs to be done. The Fifth Avenue 
Presbyterian Church, of New York City, which has a hundred 
years of history, was first located on Cedar Street. It then 
moved up to Duane Street, afterwards to Nineteenth Street, 
and finally, to keep abreast of an uptown migrating congre- 
gation, located at Fifty-fifth Street, where the edifice is now 
being overshadowed by hotels and business blocks. The 
church which is in the vanguard of an advancing population 
has the easy and pleasing problem of ministering to a rap- 
idly growing community, and being recruited by large num- 
bers of Christian people, who are looking for a church home 
near at hand. The average pastor is credited with magnetism 
and exceptional popularity if he is fortunate enough to work 
in a community where everything is moving his way. The 
problem of the church in the stationary community is very 
different when the number coming in is hardly equal to the 
total exodus, and the struggling congregations vie with one 
another to attract the stranger within the gates. 

Different again is the problem of the church with great 
traditions that is left behind. The few surviving members 
live at a distance, and continue their membership for senti- 
mental reasons. They seem to think that the church of their 
fathers has been foreordained to remain in the old location 
whether it has a mission or not. This is the inaccessible 
church, surviving in a business district, which can render no 
service to homes or families because none are unprovided for. 

Another problem still is that of the church amid the “mi- 
gration of nations.” It often happens that a church estab- 


226 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


lished to minister to English-speaking people will become en- 
veloped by Italians. These will move on and make place, 
it may be, for a wholly Jewish population. Thus it comes to 
pass that within a single generation the same church is called 
upon to minister to three distinct races of people, and it is 
quite evident that the methods of yesterday will not do for 
to-day, much less for to-morrow. Ministers coming to Amer- 
ica from “the old country” are amazed by the new and varied 
forms of church organization brought immediately to their 
attention. But these there must be if the city church is to 
keep up with the procession. On the part of the pastor a large 
range of adaptability is required or on the part of the church 
frequent changes in the pastorate, because the man who is 
equal to the problems of a family church may be a total 
misfit for the intricacies of an institutional church. 

b. Furthermore, there are in a city pastorate all the prob- 
lems occasioned by competing interests. Here the thorns 
which choke the Word—care, riches, pleasures, worldly ambi- 
tions of all sorts—spring up and make a minister’s work 
exceedingly difficult. There is little time for earnest thought 
and serious meditation, and preoccupation of mind is the pro- 
lific parent of skepticism and of indifference to religious inter- 
ests. People are surfeited with entertainments of every vari- 
ety, and the opportunities for culture in the way of libraries, 
lectures, exhibits, and the like, outrival the pulpit of the older 
days when it was almost the solitary vehicle of public enlight- 
enment and progress. A higher standard of culture in the 
city parish demands a well-educated ministry and one of con- 
stantly expanding breadth of view, unless the parish be among 
a foreign element or confined to working classes. Even here, 
however, the up-to-date clergyman must be resourceful, alert, 
in touch with current and vital interests, and in every sense 
a spiritual leader. Above all things he needs to be a real 
authority in matters pertaining to Christian faith and life, 
strong and invincible in the determination not to know any- 
thing among his people “save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 
To know him and also the needs of an overoccupied, over- 
wrought parish, so as to make our Saviour and Lord real and 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 227 


indispensable, means a call of God to the unreserved conse- 
cration of a minister’s all, body, heart, and mind. 

c. The social problems of a city parish are apt to be exceed- 
ingly real and often baffling. The caste system is not con- 
fined to India and often finds its way into modern church life. 
There is the aristocratic family and influential caste, always 
expecting special prestige and consideration. There is the 
prosperous, commercial, enterprising and demanding class, 
which pays the bills and insists on efficiency. Then there is 
the laboring or servant class, made up of good, honest, de- 
pendable people, well-meaning, but often sensitive and stub- 
born and easily offended. All these are to be banded together 
into a Christian brotherhood, having all things in common 
so far as their religious privileges are concerned, the rich and 
the poor meeting together because the Lord is the Maker 
and the Redeemer of them all. In the complicated social life 
of our day, to embrace a large city congregation in one 
household and family of the Lord raises innumerable ques- 
tions of a most complicated character, which the modern 
youth movement, so called, is intent on answering, but which 
have bewildered more mature minds and hearts. To-day, as 
never before, the Christian way of life, with its racial, social 
and moral implications, is being fearlessly studied, and the 
city minister is required to apply the gospel fearlessly and in 
the spirit of Christ to every relationship and every depart- 
ment of life. A mere student of social science or of anthropol- 
ogy will make little headway; it is the minister who gives the 
truth as it is in Jesus the right of way in his own heart and 
life and who is wholly genuine who inspires the confidence 
and enlists the codperation of all classes. 

d. One more city problem should be mentioned. It has to 
do with the mutiplied beneficent activities of churches and 
of individual Christians. Within the church itself there are 
numerous organizations which would be altogether bewilder- 
ing to the minister of fifty or a hundred years ago. Organiza- 
tion has been defined as the distribution of force most ad- 
vantageously, and it creates few problems when there is force 
on hand to be distributed. But too often they are projected 


228 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


to induce force, dormant or lacking, and this means friction, 
strain, and trouble. The city minister often undertakes to 
superintend his own Bible school in the hope that he will 
develop talent and in a short time make himself dispensable. 
As a rule he keeps on indefinitely. There are organizations 
outside the local church, ecclesiastical, civic, philanthropic, 
and so numerous that the ~“booked up” preacher would fain 
enact a closed season against any new form of organization 
or outside appeal. It is said of one of the foremost ministers 
of the American Church twenty-five years ago that it was 
nine o’clock at night before he could make his way to the 
quiet of his study through the perfect maze of exacting execu- 
tive, administrative and pastoral duties placed before him 
by an inconsiderate congregation and community. The fight 
for character in a city pastor often means to establish the 
character which will say, ‘“‘No,” to all that interferes with the 
promotion of first things. ‘‘Mastery is acquired by resolved 
limitation,’ Lord Acton has said, and the advice given to E. B. 
Pusey at the beginning of his ministry, “Limit your work,” is 
seriously applicable to those to-day who are under “the pres- 
sure of parochial pragmatism.” 

However, it should be said that no matter how numerous 
and how serious the problems of a city pastorate may be, they 
do not require for their solution on the human side impossible 
qualifications. All may not have the military genius of a 
“Chinese” Gordon, but they may follow him in those traits 
which his monument records: ‘Who everywhere and at all 
times gave his strength to the weak, his substance to the poor, 
his sympathy to the suffering, his heart to God.” 


4. Tuer CuHurcH AMONG FOREIGNERS 


There are very few churches located in the cities and in- 
dustrial centers of America that are not confronted in some 
form by the problem of the foreigner. Most of our cities are 
now more foreign than American, and that great army of in- 
dustrial workers which has made America the wonder of the 
world is composed for the most part of recent immigrants. 

There are four different situations in which any church 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 229 


that is alive to its responsibilities and opportunities will find 
itself forced to include the foreigner in its program. 

a. There are American churches which find foreigners sift- 
ing into their parish, mingling with the native Americans and 
yet having no part in their community life, especially in their 
religious life. Italian shoemakers, Chinese laundrymen, Greek 
fruiterers, Czechoslovakian and Polish servant girls, and 
Jewish merchants, are often the first to make their appearance 
in American communities, there to challenge by their very 
presence the missionary zeal of the Christian people of the 
neighborhood. 

b. Often an American church finds that, on the outskirts 

of the parish, a fringe of foreigners has made its appearance. 
Sometimes it is a ‘““Dago town,” filled with laborers upon some 
construction project in the town; sometimes the Polish, 
Russian, or Syrian hands of a local mill or factory camp down 
upon the edge of the town or city and create a foreign settle- 
ment. These colonies soon assume large proportions. In the 
larger cities any church is likely to find groups of foreigners 
pressing to within easy distance which, although not yet near 
enough to drive away the American residents from the neigh- 
borhood, are still near enough to be within reach of the minis- 
try of the church. 
—c. It is now quite a common occurrence in our larger cities 
for American churches to find their old constituency driven 
out of the neighborhood by the influx of foreigners, and there- 
fore faced with the alternative of selling their property and 
relocating in an American neighborhood or changing their 
program so as to meet the needs of the new constituency of 
foreigners. 

d. Indeed in most cities the immigrants have arrived in 
such large numbers and settled in such large colonies that they 
present a problem too vast and too complex for any local 
church to solve alone, and the task is one which must be 
assumed by the combined churches as a gigantic missionary 
enterprise. 

Few, indeed, are the ministers in urban communities who 
will not find themselves faced with one or another of these 


230 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


situations after a thorough and conscientious study of the 
field. How is the minister to meet these conditions? What 
should be the policy and program of his congregation in re- 
lation to the alien population within his parish? This problem 
is so new that no one can set forth with authority the exact 
method to be adopted in each case; but the experience gained 
by various home-mission agencies in the last twenty years has 
taught something, and every pastor concerned with the prob- 
lem of the foreigner should profit by that experience. 

In the first situation described, the church has to do only 
with scattered individuals. Nevertheless a real service can 
be rendered by the Church members to those aliens with whom 
they come in contact. Bibles, Testaments, and religious 
literature now can be secured in almost every language; yet 
rarely do Church members think of giving a Polish maid a 
Bible or handing a copy of a Protestant journal to the Italian 
who mends their shoes, or a tract to the Greek who sells them 
oranges. In just such situations Americans have countless 
opportunities for intimate contact with foreigners, and yet 
very seldom do they use these opportunities to open dis- 
cussions of religious matters. The fact that so many 
immigrants profess to be Catholics should not deter Church 
members; for it is a known fact that a large majority of most 
foreign groups are Catholic only in name. There is no field in 
which active, earnest witnessing for Christ could bear more 
fruit. 

In the second situation, where a foreign population is 
located on the fringe of the parish, two methods of approach 
have been found useful. The first is for the local church to 
begin a mission work for the foreigners, starting with the 
Sunday school, or the Daily Vacation Bible School with 
group work for the children during the week, conducting 
English classes and other secular meetings, and ultimately 
establishing preaching services in the foreign tongue for the 
adults. Often, however, the best entering wedge is the chil- 
dren’s work, carried on by a woman visitor, although occa- 
sionally where there is a nucleus of Protestants to work with, 
it is possible to begin work with a foreign-speaking minister. 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 231 


In either event such an enterprise affords a splendid opportu- 
nity for service on the part of the young people of the mother 
church, and in that way reacts favorably upon the spiritual 
life of the church. In any case the work should be housed in 
respectable and if possible in worshipful quarters; and in 
the relations of the mother church to the work the attitude 
of superiority or condescension should be studiously avoided. 

Many churches have found it possible in such situations to 
include the foreign group within their own program by opening 
up the Sunday school and other church activities to the 
children and arranging for special services and meetings for 
the adults. Such an undertaking is a severe test of the 
democratic spirit of the congregation, and should not be at- 
tempted in any field where the church is regarded as a club 
conducted for the benefit of its members only; but if pastor 
and people really believe that the church exists to minister to 
all, and that God is no respecter of persons, such a method of 
approach would seem to be ideal. 

Where the church finds itself literally engulfed by foreigners, 
it is to be hoped that those in control will not desert the field 
and leave for the more comfortable sections of the city. Such 
a procedure is paramount to admitting that the church has 
no mission to the alien, but is an American institution for 
Americans, instead of a Christian institution designed to serve 
all for whom Christ died. Just what adaptation of program 
and policy must be made in order to minister to the foreign 
community depends upon many elements which vary in each — 
situation, as, for example, the nationality and religious 
affiliation of the newcomers, the equipment of the church, and 
the funds and leadership available. In general, however, it 
may be said that such a church must introduce a well-rounded, 
seven-day program of such a character as to convince the com- 
munity that the church is there to minister in the name of 
Christ. In all its activities the church should make it clear 
that its aim is to interpret, incarnate, and preach Christ. 
Social-settlement work of a purely amanda nature is no 
doubt needed in such communities, and the church will doubt- 
less be called upon to introduce many features of the settle- 


232 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


ment program, but the church, as distinguished from the 
settlement house, should aim first, last, and always at the 
proclamation of Christian truth and the development of 
Christian character. The readjustment of a long-established, 
American church to such a program is not easily made, and 
advice and assistance should be sought at the denominational 
headquarters from men who have made a special study of 
such problems. 

In case the field is too large to be undertaken by any one 
local church all the churches of the denomination, or of the 
community, should unite in a common effort. Where the 
foreigners are largely composed of one racial group, a Sunday 
school may be established and a congregation built up by the 
services of a foreign-speaking minister. 

However, as many foreign colonies are polyglot, as the 
populations speedily shift, and as the American-born children 
must be ministered to in English, there is an increasing tend- 
ency to make the point of approach to such foreign com- 
munities by means of a Christian neighborhood house or 
“friendly center.” Here the contacts are made on a com- 
munity rather than on a racial basis, and the organization is 
broad and informal rather than narrowly ecclesiastical; a 
seven-day program, with educational, recreational, and 
physical work is adopted. The aim is nevertheless religious, 
and the Sunday school and, ultimately, a church organization 
are at the heart of the enterprise. 

Many and complex are the problems involved, but the 
presence of foreigners in their midst is a challenge to the 
churches of America and a test of their readiness to answer 
the call of the Master to go and teach all nations. 


5. THe Misson CuurcH 


The majority of Protestant churches in the United States 
enroll less than one hundred members each. 

This fact reveals the vigorous life of Protestantism. It re- 
quires the apostolic zeal of home missionaries, and the sacri- 
fices of devoted bands of believers to establish these churches. 
It requires organized faith to keep them alive. 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 233 


‘It is popular in some quarters to condemn these churches 
just because they are small and numerous. We might as 
justly condemn grocery stores because so many of them are 
small. These churches have been established to supply the 
needs of a new country.. The great majority of them are 
doing the necessary work of claiming the frontiers for Christ, 
or holding the older sections of the country amid inevitably 
changing conditions. Consolidation and elimination may be 
necessary some day. 

What are the problems of these little mission churches? How 
are they to be solved? 

a. The very first problem which one aa these small churches 
faces is: How can we maintain the will to live and serve? 

Organizing amid growing conditions, the little band of 
charter members is full of hope and enthusiasm. But how 
are hope and enthusiasm to be maintained year after year 
when the expected growth does not come? Or, how is the 
old church, once self-supporting but now reduced to a little 
band by removals and changed environment, to maintain the 
will to live and serve with no prospect of better conditions? 

It is human to depend upon numbers. Elijah fled and 
cast himself down under the juniper tree, discouraged, because 
he thought he stood alone. The first duty of the pastor in such 
a small church is to gird his own soul daily, as he waits before 
God, with such thoughts as these: 

“Jesus died to redeem these immortal souls; he has sent 
me to feed and lead them; their influence is needed to make 
this a Christian community; their light may shine around the 
world. 

“The majority of the churches in this land are little 
churches; they must make and keep it a Christian land. Jesus 
wrought his great work through twelve disciples; why should I 
be disheartened because my church is small? He can make 
great leaders of some of these humble folk.” 

If the pastor’s spirit is sustained by such thoughts, it will 
communicate itself, through sermons and prayers and con- 
versations, to the spirits of his people, and they also will have 
the will to live and labor. 


234 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


b. The next problem before such a small church is: What 
shall be our purpose and program? A railroad might as well 
try to succeed without a train schedule as a church to prosper 
without a recognized purpose and program. That is why 
hundreds of small churches fail. They have no aim, but to 
keep the church alive, and no program for doing that. But 
it is as true of a church as it is true of an individual, 
that, ‘Whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and who- 
soever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s shall 
save it.” 

A church, small or large, is a missionary society. It’s 
supreme business is to publish the gospel, to win men to Christ, 
to extend his Kingdom to the end of the earth; and no matter 
how small, it can have a program of evangelism, religious edu- 
cation, missionary education, Christian stewardship, com- 
munity service, and can set every single member to going, 
giving, and praying. 

A young pastor in a western town took charge of a little 
church of about fifty members. The church was poor, in 
debt, and ready to disband. He was puzzled as to what 
he should do to resuscitate it? 

This is what the Spirit led him to do: 

(1) To preach and pray about the value and importance of 
the task. 

(2) To enlist the officers and as many members as possible 
in making a survey of the village and countryside for pros- 
pects for Church membership. 

(3) To train a band of praying, personal workers and then 
to have some special evangelistic meetings. 

(4) To preach missions and stewardship, and to make an 
annual every-member canvass for pledged subscriptions to 
church support, and to each of the Boards of the Church. 

(5) To organize a women’s missionary society and to con- 
duct the monthly concert of prayer for missions with a care- 
fully prepared program. 

(6) To inaugurate a system of quarterly statements and 
payments of all pledges. The results of this program, seen 
within the year, were: 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 235 


A fifty-per-cent increase membership; the church in- 
dependent of the Mission Board; the debt paid; an 
offering made for every Church Board; a young girl 
pledged to foreign missions, and a thoroughly revived church. 
It was the missionary purpose and program, under God, that 
did it. The little church was thrown into gear with God’s 
great purpose and program, and of course it began to “go” 
and grow. 

c. A third problem in the little church is: Where can it 
find leaders and laborers? The pastor of a small church said, 
“We have three elders, not one of whom will lead in public 
prayer or teach a class in Sunday school.” Another declared, 
“T have to teach the whole Sunday school as one class, because 
there is not a man or woman in the church who will teach.” 

Jesus himself had to face this same problem, and he spent 
three years in training chosen disciples to do his work. The 
first step necessary to winning the Great War was the training 
of officers. Lack of leaders is a challenge to the pastor’s 
leadership. A pastor wanted to develop an interest in mis- 
sions in his little church. Neither the officers nor women would 
assist him. He turned to a bright boy. 

“John, will you do something for me?” 

“Sure. What is it?” 

“YT want you to read this book.” It was a carefully chosen, 
missionary story written for boys. The lad read it and 
brought it back. 

“Now, John,” said the pastor, “I want you to do something 
else.” 

“All right. What is it?” 

“Read that book again, and mark the things you like best in | 
it.” 

John began to be suspicious. 

“What’s the game, pastor?” 

“Be a sport, John; do what I ask, then I’ll tell you.” 

When John brought the book back well marked the pastor 
said, “Now John, I want you to sit down with five boys 
whom I have chosen, and tell them all you know about this 
story.” 


236 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


After some hesitation the lad consented, and the pastor 
invited the five boys to the manse to spend an evening. As a 
part of the entertainment John told his story. Of course the 
boys enjoyed it immensely. ‘Now boys,” said the pastor, “I 
want each of you to do just what John has done.” 

Thus this tactful pastor developed six missionary leaders, 
and organized six missionary reading classes in his Sunday 
school. Of course the girls wanted to do the same thing, and 
in a little while he had a wide-awake missionary Sunday 
school and church. 

There are undeveloped leaders in every little church. One 
of the most challenging and delightful tasks a pastor faces 
is to bring them out. 

The every-member group organization, described in another 
chapter (Chapter VII:2) is the very best method for doing 
this. Because a church is small, it should be organized in 
working groups, in order to develop the largest working force 
possible. 

d. The financial problem is also always thrusting itself to 
the fore in these little churches. Whether a mission church is 
on the frontier, in a declining farming community, in an in- 
dustrial center, or in an immigrant ward of a great city, it 
must have a certain financial support to succeed. If any man 
needs to be a good financier it is the pastor of such a little 
church. The successful pastors are good financiers. They live 
decently, educate their families, and manage their churches 
on what, to the average business man, would be an absolutely 
inadequate income. They do it, not by discounts and dona- 
tions, as some unjustly say, but by sacrificial economy and the 
use of Christian business methods. The pastor who takes 
the false position that he should have nothing to do with the 
finances of his church foredooms himself to failure. Jesus 
appointed a treasurer for the apostolic band. The apostles 
handled the offerings laid at their feet, and appointed a board 
of deacons to administer benevolent funds. Paul taught 
systematic and proportionate giving, and collected funds for 
the suffering saints at Jerusalem. The pastor is the executive 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 237 


head of his church, and must lead in the financial management 
as in everything else. He must be a teacher, an exemplar, and 
a watchful guide in church finance, because Christian steward- 
ship is an integral part of the gospel. 

The whole secret of successful finance in the small church, 
as in the big church, is obedience to the Scriptural injunction: 
“Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by 
him in store, as he may prosper.” 

Every member giving every week a tithe or more in propor- 
tion to his income would solve the financial problems of ates 
small churches. 

How can we grow toward this ideal? By education, organ- 
ization, and consecration. 


(1) Education involves: 

(a) Making a budget and explaining every item and 
clause in that budget to the people. 

(6) Stewardship-teaching, missionary study, living re- 
lations to the great evangelistic and missionary 
work of the Church. 

(2) Organization involves: 

(a) Some kind of group or every-member organization; 
an annual every-member canvass, and “follow up”; 
monthly or quarterly statements and collections. 

(b) Prompt payment of bills and remittances to the 
Boards. 

(3) Consecration involves: 

(a) The cultivation of sacrificial loyalty to Christ and 
the Church. 

(6) Opportunities for self-denial to meet emergencies in 
the Kingdom. 

(c) “Helping by prayer’—definite, united prayer, which 
keeps the hearts of the members in touch with 
Christ and the work, and with the great company 
of the faithful throughout the world. 


There will be little lack of money where these conditions 
are met. 


238 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


6. THe CHURCH WITH JEWISH NEIGHBORS 


The ghetto is not characteristic of Jewish life in America. 
The great majority of the more than 4,000,000 Jews now in 
this country live in American residential neighborhoods and 
in proximity to Christian churches. They are scattered over 
every state and territory. Spiritually they are in a sad plight. 
It is estimated that eighty per cent have abandoned the 
synagogue and are religiously adrift. These two facts—the 
movement of Jews into the neighborhood of Christian 
churches and their spiritual destitution—constitute a distinct 
challenge to American Christianity. There is surely a call 
of God to churches having Jewish neighbors, whether one 
family or a thousand, to respond to an unparalleled oppor- 
tunity to give them the gospel. Certainly Jewish evangeliza- 
tion can no longer be thought of solely in terms of a mission 
in a ghetto. It must be regarded as part of the regular work 
of the ministry. 

In a church’s approach to the Jews in its own parish, the 
first step is to gather some definite information concerning 
them. This may best be secured through a community survey 
or other general canvass. When the individual church under- 
takes this service, it is advisable to get the desired informa- 
tion indirectly and informally. The Jews are a friendly 
people, but are apt to be suspicious of representatives of the 
Christian Church. On the first visit it will be sufficient to 
establish a friendly contact, get the name of the family and 
the synagogue connection, if any. Subsequent visits will 
afford an opportunity of learning something of their back- 
ground, their personal characteristics, and their attitude to- 
ward the Church and Christianity. 

The difficulties in the way of reaching the Jews with the 
gospel are exceptionally great. Though they have much in 
common with Christians, there are fundamental doctrinal 
differences not easily resolved. Through long contact with 
Christianity their religion has developed defensive measures 
especially designed to render all attempts at their Christian- 
ization ineffective. The most serious obstacle, however, is the 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 239 


historical obstacle; namely, that through long centuries in 
Europe the Jews have suffered shameful injustice, oppression, 
and ill will at the hands of nominally Christian people. A 
leading Zionist has declared that one of the chief reasons for 
Jewish bitterness against the Messiah is the attitude of the 
Messiah’s disciples against his people. 

This stone of stumbling must be removed. Kindness alone 
will do it. Experience has demonstrated that the mightiest 
factor in Jewish evangelization is the sympathy and good will 
of Christians. The church, therefore, that would win the 
Jews must place intelligent and kindly personal contacts at 
the heart of its program. To insure such efforts, the members 
of the church should be carefully prepared. Prejudice and 
indifference must be removed and proper Christian attitudes 
developed. Sermons and addresses on such subjects as the 
Jewish situation in this country, our debt to the Jews, their 
religious need, and their place in God’s plan for the world, 
do much to deepen sympathy and awaken interest in their 
spiritual welfare. Mission-study classes or a school of mis- 
sions will prove invaluable as a means of training individuals 
for definite service. The Sunday school with its wide range 
of educational opportunity should be utilized to the full. Nor 
must we neglect the ministry of prayer—personal, social, and 
public—as the essential source of sympathy and devotion in 
any effort to win the Jews. 

In the projection of an effective program by a church, there 
is need of much wisdom and _ spiritual understanding. 
Churches and communities differ so widely that no uniform 
method can be provided for all. Each must, in the light of 
its own resources and community needs, work out its own 
program. Speaking generally it would be a tactical blunder 
for a church to announce its purpose to evangelize the Jews. 
They have been so often singled out for attack that a special 
effort to make Christians of them would be interpreted simply 
as another form of anti-Semitism. They should be approached 
as members of the community for whose spiritual welfare the 
church recognizes its responsibility. Among the means which 
may be suggested are the following: 


240 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


a. The visitation of new families coming into the neigh- 
borhood. 

b. The inclusion of Jews in the church’s visiting. list. 

c- The judicious distribution of Christian literature. 

d. Inviting Jews to the regular services, and extending a 
cordial greeting to those who attend. 

e. Special services and public meetings dealing with topics 
of special interest to Jews. 

f. Work for the children, such as the Daily Vacs Bible 
Schools and the story hours. Clubs and classes of various 
kinds may be utilized to meet specific needs which will also 
afford an opportunity for Christian instruction and personal 
service. 

Though there are difficulties in the way of reaching Jews 
with the gospel, there are also great encouragements. None 
need doubt its transforming power. Hundreds of churches 
bear testimony to the results of their efforts in behalf of the 
Jews, imperfect and desultory though they often have been. 
Some churches have as many as thirty Jews in their member- 
ship. Moreover the quality and worth of Jewish disciples 
have always been high. A disproportionately large percent- 
age give themselves to the work of the gospel ministry, and 
others to forms of self-denying service. Jewish evangelization 
is a task eminently worth-while.. The church undertaking it 
will itself receive a blessing, for it may confidently claim, in 
obedience to the expressed will of Christ, the unfailing prom- 
ises of God. 


7. Tue Cuurcu In Foreign FIe.ps 


It is generally recognized that every congregation in the 
foreign-mission field should have a pastor chosen, whenever 
possible, from among the people of the country concerned. 
In the early stages of the work, however, this is, for obvious 
reasons, an ideal difficult of attainment. The foreign mis- 
sionary frequently finds it necessary to devote a considerable 
share of his time and strength to the task of leading and 
guiding his little flock into such a condition of elementary 
organization and education as would justify him and his col- 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 241 


leagues in recommending that it assume charge of its own 
affairs. This process is, in the majority of instances, very 
lengthy, the period required being contingent upon the na- 
tional characteristics of the people, their general intelligence, 
and the degree of tact which their foreign leader is able to 
exercise in dealing with them. That such an arrangement, 
in not a few instances, should come to be regarded as per- 
manent, is not surprising. It seems wise, however, to remark 
in this connection that many such congregations have fallen 
short of that growth and efficiency which is to be witnessed in 
other communities where the way has been thrown open, at 
the earliest possible stage, for the completely normal and 
natural functioning of a homogeneous organization. 

That the European or American pastorate has ever been 
successfully transplanted into the great East, may be fairly 
doubted. That it should be so, is probably desired by very 
few. While gladly introducing our Western systems of Church 
government and ritual, in so far as these do not operate as 
hindrances to the growth of the Church, all will cheerfully 
admit that there is much to be gained by permitting the 
people to conduct their worship and the business of their con- 
eregations in accordance with their own national or racial 
preferences, with the least possible interference from us. 

Those who have visited the mission fields will testify to 
the obvious fitness, charm, and efficiency which characterize 
those assemblages for public and private worship where the 
people assemble clad in their national garb, seat themselves 
as did their forefathers, and sing the praise of God in words 
set to the music of the country—all this in delightful contrast 
to the sight, which is fortunately growing rarer, where high, 
uncomfortable chairs and benches, English clothing, and Eng- 
lish hymns translated and sung to the dear old tunes of the 
Western Church, impart to the service of worship an air of 
deadly artificiality. Within comparatively recent years a 
great alteration has taken place in the attitude of the churches 
of the mission field toward the mother churches of the West. 
A tendency to imitate almost slavishly the habits and cus- 
toms of the nations through whose direct agency the gospel 


242 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


was brought, has been succeeded by a spirit of more or less 
active desire to be recognized as capable of conducting their 
own affairs. 

The churches have grown in number and advanced rapidly 
in education, and the general capacity of individuals as well 
as communities has been tested. Their feeling of responsibil- 
ity for the evangelization of their respective countries 1s mani- 
festing itself as never before. Along with this there has 
sprung up in most of the mission fields a more or less definite 
demand that, even though large and long-continued assistance 
in the shape of missionaries and money is essential to the 
accomplishment of the task undertaken, such assistance be 
given in the fullest codperation with the church of the country 
within whose bounds the work is conducted. 

This sentiment has given rise to not a few delicate situa- 
tions where national prejudices have made themselves unduly 
felt. These have not been confined to the people of any one 
continent. Under existing circumstances diversity of opinion 
is inevitable, and the necessity for mutual love and considera- 
tion most obvious. That the Spirit of the great Head of the 
Church is guiding its great membership to such adjustments 
as will remove all signs of and occasions for division in the 
ranks of the toilers amid the unevangelized millions is surely 
not too much to hope for. 

The foreign missionary goes forth not with the thought of 
becoming a leader in the control of the work being done by 
the mission and church, but rather as a helper in everything 
which aims at the upbuilding of the church. The church is 
eventually to be responsible for the accomplishment of the 
entire task. The mission has still its indispensable share in 
this enterprise, but this share will decrease, while that of the 
church will increase. It would seem to be true, in the light 
of experience, that where this principle is fully and practically 
recognized, the share which the church is capable of assuming 
is vastly greater than had been supposed. In the carrying out 
of this idea, the home church is asked and expected to intrust 
the representatives of the church on the field with a large por- 
tion of responsibility of the administration of mission funds, 


PROBLEMS IN PARTICULAR FIELDS 243 


in the fullest codperation with her own immediate represen- 
tatives. 

Should the missionary sever his connection with the church 
at home and unite with a church on the foreign field? No 
single or simple answer can be given to this inquiry. It is 
obvious that our reply must take into account the diverse 
circumstances of the different areas. Unquestionably, in some 
cases, because of the newness of the churches, or because of 
other conditions, it is of the utmost importance that the 
foreign missionary should identify himself with the local con- 
eregation where he works. He is needed there; but that he 
and his successors should regard this relation as permanent 
is not in harmony with the wisest thinking on the subject. 
He longs to see the church grow and develop a leadership 
of its own, and as soon as he discovers that his presence is in 
any degree retarding the development of an indigenous lead- 
ership, he may be expected to withdraw from this relationship. 

The great aim is to secure the establishment of a self-sup- 
porting, self-governing, and self-propagating church. The sev- 
eral missionary societies are as one in this desire, and the great 
bodies which they represent are according to them the full- 
est and most sympathetic support. The problem of self- 
support is as yet unsolved in many fields, but great advance 
has been made, and in this we may rejoice greatly, since we 
believe that it is only when a great measure of financial inde- 
pendence has been achieved that the individual congrega- 
tions scattered throughout the vast unevangelized areas of the 
earth can advance to that stage where they can take the part 
which they ought to take in giving the gospel to those of their 
countrymen who are still without it. 


CHAPTER X 
THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 
1. THe RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PASTOR 


In no phase or function of his work will a pastor be sub- 
jected to a more acute or decisive test than in his success or 
failure as the missionary leader of his church. It is a trite 
observation to say that “the pastor is the key to the situa- 
tion’; but as long as so many hundreds of ministers fail to 
realize that fact, it will be necessary to reiterate the state- 
ment. The word “key” exactly describes the situation in our 
modern church. Keys are used to open doors—but they also 
close and lock doors. Many a missionary door is now locked 
in our churches, and will remain locked, until the minister 
passes on to another field of labor. As Dr. John R. Mott 
expressed it so forcibly years ago: “The secret of enabling 
the Church to press her advantage in the non-Christian world 
is one of leadership. The people do not go beyond their leader 
in knowledge and zeal, or surpass them in consecration and 
sacrifice. The Christian pastor, minister, rector—whatever 
he may be denominated—holds the divinely appointed office 
for guiding and inspiring the thought and activities of the 
Church. By virtue of his position he can be a mighty force 
in the evangelism of the world.” When ministers generally 
awake to the wonderful possibilities of their world leadership, 
a new day will have dawned in the life and power of the 
Christian Church. 

Part of the trouble arising from the present situation in 
many of our churches is due to the lack of a true appreciation 
of the real purpose of the Church, part is due to the lack of 
a spiritual or missionary character in the minister himself, 

244 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 245 


and part is due to a fundamental lack of information and 
training. A careful and unprejudiced investigation of our 
American churches would bear out the truth of the statement 
made by Dr. Henry van Dyke years ago that missionary 
churches are live churches and that nonmissionary churches 
are dying or dead. If any Christian minister is worried over 
the dying condition of his church, let him meditate on these 
words of Dr. James I. Vance, of Nashville, in an illuminating 
article in The Missionary Review of the World: 

“Tf the church is really living, and not dead, the remedy 
for its stagnation and coldness and lack of vitality will be 
found in missions. The way to cure a sick, selfish church is 
to get it interested in the business for which it was created. 
The way to take the church’s eye off itself is to get it absorbed 
in a world campaign. The way to make it forget its own 
aches and pains is to stimulate its sympathies with a vision 
of world need. The way to quicken the pulse and thicken the 
blood of a sick church is to engage it in activities which call 
into play all the normal functions of the church. The way to 
warm up a cold church is to fire it with world passion. The 
way to heal the divisions of a sour and schismatic church is 
to unite it into a service where it has unbroken fellowship 
with the world Redeemer. . . . The church forfeits its 
spiritual assets when it turns its back on its world task. : 
Foreign missions is as essential to the Christian as it is to the 
non-Christian world. It is as much the salvation of the 
church at home as it is the hope of the lands whose torch is 
still unlit.” 

Missionary leadership is not fundamentally a matter of 
machinery or mechanics. It is primarily an attitude, a con- 
viction, a spirit—and right here is to be noted one of the out- 
standing causes of failure. Unless the minister is interested 
in the world outside his parish, unless he longs for the evan- 
gelization of the world, unless he has “the mind of Christ” 
towards the world for which Christ died, he cannot lead his 
people to have the mind “which was also in Christ Jesus.” 
It matters little whether a pastor says he is interested in 
missions; here, as elsewhere, life and action speak louder 


246 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


than words. Much of the trouble regarding missions can be 
traced back to the days of preparation for the ministry. 
Many candidates for ordination, more or less versed in 
Hebrew, Greek, Church history and theology, are woefully 
ignorant regarding the world work of their own denomination, 
and are without any training for the missionary leadership 
of the churches which they. have been called to serve. During 
recent years there has been considerable improvement in this 
respect, but there is room for a great deal more. Training in 
world leadership would seem to be as important as training 
in pastoral or dogmatic theology, and the place for such train- 
ing is in the theological seminary, where a man has time to 
think and plan for his future life work. 


2. Tue Neep or A MISSIONARY PROGRAM 


Every minister should work out a comprehensive mission- 
ary program for his entire church, so that he may know what 
he is really trying to do, where his church is going, and what 
results are desired and likely to be realized. There is too 
much “hit-and-miss” leadership in missions, even on the part 
of informed and consecrated men. There is not sufficient 
space, within the limits of this chapter, to cover in any de- 
tailed manner such a comprehensive program, but certain sug- 
gestions can be made which, it is hoped, may prove helpful. 

A comprehensive program for a missionary church will 
certainly include the following: Prayer, organization, educa- 
tion, life service, and financial support of the enterprise. 


3. PRAYER AND MISSIONS 


Prayer is placed first, because it comes ahead of everything 
else. It will not do merely to pray after the program has all 
been worked out. The greatest help in working out the 
program will come from prayer for guidance in preparing the 
right kind of program. The missionary enterprise itself was 
born in prayer, and the greatest missionary victories have 
been won through prayer. The minister can, therefore, enter 
this fellowship of prayer confident of victory. The minister’s 
own interest in and contact with the non-Christian world will 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 247 


be deepened and strengthened by prayer for that world, most 
of which is outside his local parish. ‘Deeper than the need 
for men, aye, deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life, 
is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-wide 
prayer.” Prayer will not only start the program in the right 
direction, but will keep it in that direction. Frequent prayer 
from the pulpit and in the organizations and homes of the 
church for the missionaries on the field and for the conquest 
of the nations for Christ will enable the people to keep their 
eyes on the fields and will open their hearts to the needs of 
the fields for which they have been praying. Many Mission 
Boards publish “Year Books” or “Calendars of Prayer” con- 
taining helpful suggestions for prayer and a list of mission- 
aries and objects of work for daily prayer. Every minister 
should procure one of these Year Books and use it frequently 
in his public prayers, as well as daily in his private 
devotions. 


4. ORGANIZING THE CHURCH 


A missionary program for a church will be realized through 
a definite business-like organization. It may be _ neces- 
sary to project a new organization—most churches have too 
many organizations already—but some sort of codrdinating 
committee or group is necessary, if the entire church is to be 
reached with the missionary program. In some churches a 
Missionary Committee has been organized, in others a Com- 
mittee or Council on Christian Education, in others a Com- 
mittee on Benevolence. Whatever its name, this committee 
should include a representative, or representatives, of every 
organization in the church, in order that all the elements in 
the life and work in the church may be enlisted, informed, and 
rained. To this committee, meeting at frequent intervals, 
should be assigned the responsibility of working out a 
unified, codperative, and effective missionary program for the 
entire church, to the end that every member of the congrega- 
tion may be reached every year with the missionary message 
and conception of our modern world, and enlisted in the 


248 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


service of the world-wide enterprise for which the Church has 
been responsible. It is the business of the pastor to see that 
such a committee is organized in the most effective way and 
that it actually functions, but he should not attempt to dom- 
inate the committee, for its members will, themselves, become 
increasingly interested in missions in proportion to the spe- 
cific responsibility placed upon them for actual, definite serv- 
ice. The ideal will be reached when the pastor can feel that 
the church has been organized for missions, not by himself, 
but by the members. 


5. MISSIONARY EDUCATION 


One reason why the Church at home has lagged so far 
behind the Church on the mission field, and one reason why 
Church members show so little interest in world missions, is 
that they have never been educated to think or to act in 
world terms. Too many missionary addresses are hortatory 
rather than informing. The ignorance of the average Chris- 
tian regarding the needs of the world and what is being done 
to meet those needs is colossal, and his ignorance will in 
nowise be lessened, nor will his indifference be removed, by 
listening to addresses characterized by mere emotional ap- 
peals for foreign missions. One of the primary, compelling 
needs of the modern church is for fundamental, scientific, thor- 
ough-going missionary education, not as something optional, to 
be put on or removed as a garment, but as inherent in the life 
of the church. Fortunately, during the past few years there 
has been a growing and encouraging recognition of this fact 
in all the great denominations, and it is now a truism to say 
that “missionary education is an integral part of religious 
education.” As Dr. Harold M. Robinson, of the Presbyterian 
Board of Christian Education, has put it, “Christian educa- 
tion cannot be Christian unless it produces a missionary 
person.” 

A missionary-education program for a church will inevit- 
ably include certain elements to which reference will be made 
in this chapter: 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 249 


a. Missionary sermons. Several years ago one of our 
popular magazines conducted a symposium on the question: 
“Do Preachers Preach Missionary Sermons?” An analysis 
was made of eight hundred sermons preached from American 
pulpits during the preceding five years. These sermons were 
listed under seven groups, the last of which, entitled “Social,” 
revealed the following significant facts: 


W1aes10NS web OMG OTe en ae tas, ek ee ee 0 
OVC sIil veAnOeETOCless 4. art eee 14 
BUCTIIGPAD CGgh titer are ners aimee C, Say Ae 2 
Philanthropy, Social Service............... 5 
octal irsticem la borsetCsee. © oes es cet 10 


Dr. Alvin E. Magary, who conducted the investigation, 
commented: “The infrequency of sermons with direct appli- 
cation to the world outside the four walls of the church is one 
of the surprising results of the investigation. No pastor 
talked to his people about the great missionary enterprise of 
the Church, though two or three addresses by representatives 
of Mission Boards are reported.” There has undoubtedly 
been a great improvement in this respect since the above 
investigation was made, and to-day, in hundreds of churches, 
missionary pastors are frequently and systematically preach- 
ing on missions; but it is still too true that many a pastor 
is neglecting this important and far-reaching pulpit oppor- 
tunity. Many ministers excuse themselves by saying that 
they do not know how to preach a missionary sermon. The 
writer once asked the late Dr. A. W. Halsey, of the Pres- 
byterian Board of Foreign Missions, one of the most inform- 
ing and inspiring missionary speakers the Church has ever 
known, ‘What is the secret of a successful missionary ad- 
dress?” He replied: “A successful missionary address con- 
sists of facts, facts, and still more facts. Facts make their 
‘own missionary appeal.” All who were privileged to hear 
Dr. Halsey will remember how his own addresses were packed 
full of new, impressive, and inspiring facts from every part 
of the world. Any preacher who is willing to prepare his 


250 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


missionary sermons with this idea in mind can preach a good 
missionary sermon. 

But he himself must first be informed. If, instead of throw- 
ing into the wastebasket the “Annual Report” of his own de- 
nominational Mission Board, he would read it through, he 
would be surprised to note the wealth of information therein 
available for sermons. Every minister should read an inter- 
denominational missionary magazine such as The Mission- 
ary Review of the World which, month after month, assem- 
bles unusually interesting material from all over the world. 
If he prefers to delve more deeply into the problems of mis- 
sions, he should read The International Review of Missions. 
He should also read his own denominational missionary maga- 
zine, and as many missionary books as he can obtain by 
purchase or loan. Emphasis should be placed on modern 
missionary biographies and narratives. From listening to 
some missionary addresses one might infer that nothing had 
occurred in the world of missions since the days of William 
Carey, Adoniram Judson, Henry Martyn, and David Living- 
stone. The modern crusade for Christ is full of compelling 
appeal, and the modern Church member should be brought 
face to face with the work of his own missionaries, the true 
and worthy successors of the great men and women of an 
earlier day. The Mission Boards all stand ready to render 
assistance to ministers in furnishing material for sermons, 
and pastors should avail themselves of these resources at their 
disposal. An especially effective method of missionary preach- 
ing is found in special sermons or brief addresses to children, 
the future missionary leaders of the church. Pastors will 
find it suggestive to read and to study books of missionary 
story sermons specially prepared to interest and to instruct 
young people and children. 


b. Intensive missionary education. In another part of 
this volume the reader will find a somewhat extended and 
comprehensive treatment of the place of missionary education 
in religious education, together with specific mention of the 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 251 


mission-study class, the school of missions, and similar organ- 
izations. It will be sufficient here to call attention to the 
latent possibilities in this intensive missionary education in 
a local church: The church has discovered in the mission- 
study class and the school of missions not only the best and 
surest method by which to inform and educate an entire 
church regarding the world-wide work for which it is respon- 
sible but also the basis for adequate training in Christian 
leadership. Many a minister, thoroughly discouraged over 
his failure to enlist and develop leaders through wheedling 
and coaxing, has had his faith renewed and his ministry 
invigorated through the development of young people of his 
church at summer conferences, where they have learned how 
to study missions and to lead mission-study classes. One 
minister recalls that, in his first pastorate, over seventy out 
of a total of one hundred and eighty-six members were en- 
rolled in mission-study classes under the leadership of an 
enthusiastic group of young people who had just received 
their first vision and conception of this important part of the 
life of the church at a missionary institute in a near-by city. 
In recent years there has been a vast improvement in the 
‘courses and methods of mission study, and an enormous 
growth in the number enrolled. For instance, in a single 
year, over 150,000 Presbyterians have Sasa enrolled in classes 
and other groups studying India. 

Beginning with separate and Pana unrelated classes, 
in recent years the idea of a school of missions for the entire 
church has taken form and found successful expression. Let- 
ters and testimonials have been published by ministers who 
have given the school of missions a fair trial and who have 
discovered undreamed of possibilities in it. One pastor found 
it possible to organize a class of forty-six interested men for 
the study of Japan; another reports that at least five hundred 
people connected with his church received some missionary 
instruction during the month; a third discovered, to his de- 
light, that the school of missions produced recruits for the 
mission field. 


252 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


c. Other educational methods. The limits of this chap- 
ter make it impossible to do more than to refer to some of the 
other methods. There is, for example, the Sunday school. 
Years ago the average Sunday school heard of missions occa- 
sionally, if at all, and the cause usually had to be dragged in, 
as something not necessarily related to religious education. 
To-day, whatever special presentation there may be, the mis- 
sionary enterprise is being taught as an integral part of the 
lesson. The Sunday-school pupil to-day is being indoc- 
trinated with facts not appreciated by an earlier generation 
—that Christianity is missions, that the Bible is a mission- 
ary Book, and that a true Christian must be a missionary 
person. All of the leading denominations have provided for 
Departments of Missionary Education and for secretaries 
who give their entire time to this work, many of them special- 
ists in Sunday-school programs, courses, and methods. A wise 
pastor keeps in touch with the Department of Missionary 
Education, to secure the materials which are available and 
which are constantly being changed to bring them up to date. 
He also secures much valuable advice and counsel in this way. 
from those who have made a thorough study of this form of 
work. The modern pastor has facilities placed at his disposal 
which were unknown to his predecessors in the ministry. 

The Sunday school is the church organized for its task of 
religious education. This is the logical place to introduce 
systematic teaching concerning the missionary enterprise. 
Two principal means are open for the accomplishment of this 
purpose. The first hes in utilizing the opening period of 
worship. In most schools there are thirty minutes, at least, 
filled with the singing of hymns, the reading of Scripture, and 
prayer. It is possible to utilize this devotional period to 
create missionary atmosphere and to give missionary infor- 
mation. The other principal means is through the instruction 
in the classes. Much has been done, as intimated above, 
toward putting missions into the curriculum of the school. 
Much needs to be done in putting missions into the hearts of 
the Sunday-school teachers. Unless the latter object is ob- 
tained, the former will not produce results. One thing to 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 203 


which the pastor ought to give special attention is the edu- 
cation of the Sunday-school teachers, so that they may have 
a missionary vision and be able to impart it to their classes. 

Missionary literature, reading contests, stereopticon lec- 
tures and moving pictures, addresses by returned missionaries 
and world travelers, pageants, expositions, exhibits, and, last 
but not least, the missionary prayer meeting, afford a variety 
of methods which, wisely handled, cannot fail to educate a 
church for world service. 


6. RECRUITING FOR LIFE SERVICE 


The thousands of missionaries who to-day are giving their 
lives for the evangelization of the world came out of our 
churches. Many of them first learned of the great world, and 
a large proportion of them first felt the call to world service, 
in their home church where they grew to manhood and wom- 
anhood. Several years ago a Committee of the Foreign Mis- 
sions Conference of North America issued a pamphlet, “The 
Call to Foreign Missionary Service.” The foreword contained 
the following observation: “No higher opportunity comes to 
the Christian minister than that of guiding the consecrated 
young life of the Church of Christ into those realms of service 
for which the individuals seem best fitted either by natural 
inheritance or by acquired training. Facts which are avail- 
able seem to indicate that our pastors have not fully appre- 
ciated the wonderful opportunity they have in bringing the 
calls for world-wide service before the young boys and girls 
and the young men and women in their congregations, al- 
though all the evidence tends to show that this is the period 
during which life choices are made.” 

In every congregation there are numbers of young people 
on the verge of a life decision. They are looking for guid- 
ance. They are looking into every opening presented to them 
for consideration. Many friends will call their attention to 
the professional and business opportunities in the homeland; 
but unless their minister calls their attention to the work of 
the Christian ministry and to life service on the mission field, 
they will probably never think of these opportunities at all. 


254 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


A minister has a peculiar responsibility for seeing that his 
young people decide upon their life work with all the facts 
before them and not with a scanty knowledge of the world’s 
needs. To that end, the minister should familiarize himself 
with the needs of the world, especially with the need for 
recruits in the many different types of missionary work. Cor- 
respondence with his own Mission Board will answer many 
questions that may be in his mind. With such facts and calls 
before him, he should study the young people of his congre- 
gation, note their qualifications, aptitudes, and preferences, 
and speak to them as opportunity offers. Many a missionary 
engaged in happy, useful Christian service to-day, thanks his 
minister for leading him tactfully into a conscientious con- 
sideration of missionary service. When a pastor has reason 
to believe that certain young men and women of his church 
are qualified for service as missionaries, he should send their 
names and addresses to the Candidate or Recruiting Depart- 
ment of his denominational Mission Board, in order that they 
may be kept in touch with the enterprise under consideration. 

It is not necessary to go to the ends of the earth in order 
to find opportunities for missionary service. The missionary 
spirit usually manifests itself in work for Christ close at hand. 
There is no community without the need of missionary effort, 
and the missionary pastor will strive to organize his people 
for Christian service in their own community. This sort of 
practical service in which he is able to enlist his own people 
will, in some instances, prove the first step in the direction of 
full-time Christian service in home or foreign missions. Pray- 
erful, natural codperation on the part of the minister with 
his young people at a time when they are facing their life 
work, is rich in its rewards. 


7. Tuer Pastor AND MISSIONARY FINANCE 


At no point in his leadership is the minister so likely to fail 
as in his attitude towards the benevolences of his church. 
Many ministers say frankly that they do not know how to 
“raise money,’ and that they do not feel any particular re- 
sponsibility in this direction. Others know full well their 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 209 


responsibility, but dodge it under one pretext or another. 
Entirely too many ministers seem to feel that they are called 
to “protect” their parishioners from appeals. This is one of 
the most pathetic sights imaginable—to find a man in a place 
of leadership who is unwilling to exercise that leadership for 
the sake of Christ. A leading church official, who had just 
returned from an extensive tour throughout the Church, de- 
clared: “It will be a great day for Zion when the Lord breaks 
through the guards ministers put up around the purses of 
their people.” Some ministers say that they dislike “beg- 
ging’ for money. No wonder! Money is not raised by beg- 
ging. Others seem to think that the donor is doing them a 
favor in making a small contribution, whereas the truth is 
that whenever we offer a man an opportunity to invest his 
money in the Lord’s work we are doing him a favor. It is 
easy for some pastors to accept the “excuses” for failure to 
give, offered by parishioners not inclined to be generous. For 
instance, a minister will declare that a member of his congre- 
gation was very generous in giving fifty dollars to missions, 
and that he could not afford to give any more, when he knows 
quite well that this parishioner has just placed an order for 
a $5,000 automobile or that he is planning to take his family 
of five around the world. The giving of the Christian Church 
is pitifully selfish; the average Christian is giving only a 
little over two dollars a year for the evangelization of the 
world. The next great revival must be a revival of Christian 
stewardship. When that day comes, the missionary work of 
the Church will leap forward. 

In closing this chapter a few suggestions are presented to 
the minister who conscientiously desires to exercise his right- 
ful leadership in missionary finance. 


a. Raise the budget of your church. We begin with this 
suggestion, for most up-to-date churches to-day have some 
sort of budget, realized or partly secured through an every- 
member canvass. Do not say, “Our church cannot raise its 
budget.” The church would think it could if 1t were encour- 
aged so to think and so to do. The annual benevolent budget 


256 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR 


of a denomination appears colossal if stated as being $15,000,- 
000; but when one remembers that in this denomination there 
are 1,800,000 members, then, in view of world needs, the 
budget appears pathetically small. 


b. Accept your budget as a minimum. It should be 
merely a starting point, not a goal. Many ministers seem to 
think that in meeting a mechanical, mathematical “quota” 
their church has done its full share toward world obligations. 
From that point of view a budget becomes a wall to hide 
behind, not a stimulus to world conquest. When a minister 
tells his congregation that if they will raise the budget they 
will never hear another appeal for a year, he is doing his 
church an irreparable harm. Make your budget flexible 
enough to allow for emergencies—Chinese famines, Japanese 
earthquakes, and Armenian massacres. 


c. Lead your church to definiteness in giving. Encour- 
age your church members to study “causes” intelligently and 
to designate their gifts for definite causes. One of the best 
methods yet discovered for producing definite, interested giv- 
ing is the support of a missionary or a specific piece of mis- 
sionary work. Hundreds of churches all over the country can 
testify to the great blessing and inspiration which have come 
to them from identifying themselves with a missionary on 
the field. Here is a sample letter received by one Mission 
Board from a prominent pastor: 

“T am most happy in saying, without any reservation, that 
the impression which Dr. B. has made upon this congregation 
is of the finest. In a single week this congregation has gone 
farther along the road to intelligent and sympathetic interest 
in foreign-missionary work than it has for many years. The 
practical evidence of this is, that already the church has 
pledged $5,000 for the building of a ward in the new hospital 
which Dr. B. hopes to build, and this gift is by no means the 
end—in fact, I think in years to come a considerable finan- 
cial support may be expected from this congregation for the 
work of that station. 


THE PASTOR AND MISSIONS 257 


“I cannot begin to tell of the various ways in which Dr. B. 
has found his way into the hearts of the people here, but I 
consider it a most remarkable achievement for a single week. 
Many of our men are saying that if this is the type of mis- 
sionary the Board is sending out, they are going to have a very 
much higher opinion of foreign-missionary work.” Tying 
your church up to a definite work or worker, in America or 
abroad, is a scientific and sensible method of missionary 
leadership.” 


d. Cultivate the wealthy men and women in your con- 
gregation by personal, patient, tactful, and continuous 
education. The average man of means wants to use his 
wealth for the good of humanity, and he is waiting to be 
shown where that good lies. He should be encouraged to give 
large contributions for missions at home and abroad—much 
larger gifts than he could reasonably be expected to give 
through church offerings—and many a man has been led out 
into a happy, useful life of stewardship by his minister. It is 
instructive to note the remarkable financial leadership in this 
direction that has been made effective for the Christianizing 
of the world by pastors who realized that they were called to 
deal courageously with Christians rich in this world’s goods. 
Conscientious Christians are looking for this kind of leader- 
ship, and they welcome it as a sign of spiritual power and 
missionary vision on the part of those who have been called 
to preach to them “the unspeakable riches of Christ.” 


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